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A THOUSAND WAYS TO 
PLEASE A HUSBAND 





^Ji^iQ.t^l-U 



A 

THOUSAND WAYS 

TO PLEASE A HUSBAND 
WITH 

BETTINA'S BEST RECIPES 

-BY- 
LOUISE BENNETT WEAVER 

AND 

HELEN COWLES LeCRON 




The Romance of Cookery 
AND HOUSEKEEPING 

Decorations by 
ELIZABETH COLBOURNE 



New York 
Britton Publishing Company 






Copyright, 1917 

Britton Publishing Company, I„ c . 

All Rights Reserved 

Made in U.S. A. 




/5 19/7 • 

CI.A460816 ^ F^ 



A DEDICATION 

To every other little bride 
Who has a "Bob" to please, 

And says she's tried and tried and tried 
To cook with skill and ease, 

And cant! — we offer here as guide 
Bettinas Recipes! 

To her whose "Bob" is prone to wear 

A sad and hungry look, 
Because the maid he thought so fair 

Is — well — she just cant cook! 
To her we say : do not despair; 

Just try Bettina's Book! 




Bettina's Measurements Are All Level 

C = cup 
t = teaspoon 
T = tablespoon 
lb. = pound 
pt. = pint 
B.P. = baking-powder 





PAGE 

Home at Last n 

II Bettina's First Real Dinner 14 

III Bettina's First Guest 17 

IV Bettina Gives a Luncheon 21 

V Bob Helps to Get Dinner 25 

VI Cousin Matilda Calls 28 

VII A New-Fashioned Sunday Dinner. . . 33 

VIII Celebrating the Fourth 36 

IX Uncle John and Aunt Lucy Make a 

Visit 39 

X Ruth Inspects Bettina's Kitchen... 42 

XI Bettina's Birthday Gift 46 

XII Bettina's Father Tries Her Cooking 49 

XIII Bob Helps With the Dinner 53 

XIV A Sunday Evening Tea 56 

XV A Motor Picnic 59 

XVI Bettina Has a Caller 62 

XVII Bob Gets Breakfast on Sunday 65 

XVIII Bettina Gives a Porch Party 69 

XIX Bettina and the Expense Budget. ... j$ 

XX Mrs. Dixon and Bettina's Experiment yy 

XXI A Rainy Day Dinner 81 

XXII Buying a Refrigerator 84 

XXIII Bettina's Sunday Dinner 87 

XXIV Bettina Visits a Tea-room 90 

XXV Bettina Entertains Alice and Mr. 

Harrison 93 

XXVI Over the Telephone 97 

XXVII Bettina Has a Baking Day 100 

XXVIII Polly and the Children 103 

XXIX Bettina Puts Up Fruit icr 



Contents 



CHAPTER PAGE 

XXX A Cool Summer Day in 

XXXI Bob and Bettina Alone 114 

XXXII Bettina Attends a Morning Wedding 117 

XXXIII After the "Tea" 121 

XXXIV Bettina Gives a Porch Breakfast. . . . 124 
XXXV A Piece of News 127 

XXXVI Bettina Entertains Her Father and 

Mother 130 

XXXVII The Big Secret 133 

XXXVIII After the Circus 136 

XXXIX Mrs. Dixon Asks Questions 139 

XL A Telegram from Uncle Eric. ...;... 143 
XLI Bettina Entertains State Fair Visi- 
tors 147 

XLII Uncle John and Aunt Lucy 149 

XLIII Sunday Dinner at the Dixon's 151 

XLIV A Rainy Evening at Home 154 

XLV Ruth Makes an Apple Pie 159 

XLVI Bettina Makes Apple Jelly 162 

XLVII After a Park Party 166 

XLVIII Bettina Spills the Ink 169 

XLIX Bettina Attends a Porch Party 171 

L A Dinner Cooked in the Morning. . . 173 

LI A Sunday Dinner 176 

LII Bob Makes Peanut Fudge 179 

LIII Dinner at the Dixon's 182 

LIV A Good-bye Luncheon for Bernadette 185 

LV Bettina Plans an Announcement 

Luncheon 188 

LVI Ruth and Bettina Make Preparations 191 

LVII A Rainbow Announcement Luncheon 193 

LVIII An Early Caller 197 

LIX Ruth Comes to Luncheon 200 

LX A Kitchen Shower for Alice 205 

LXI A Rainy Night Meal 209 

LXII Alice Gives a Luncheon 212 

LXIII Motoring with the Dixons 215 



Contents 



CHAPTER PAGE 

LXIV Ruth Makes Baking Powder Biscuits 218 

LXV Plans for the Wedding 220 

LXVI A Guest to a Dinner of Left-Overs. . . 222 

LXVII A Handkerchief Shower 224 

LXVIII Just the Two of Them 227 

LXIX A Luncheon in the Country 229 

LXX A "Pair Shower" for Alice 232 

LXXI Bob Makes Popcorn Balls 235 

LXXII And Where Was the Dinner 237 

LXXIII Alice Tells Her Troubles 240 

LXXIV The Dixons Come to Dinner 242 

LXXV The Wedding Invitations 245 

LXXVI Hallowe'en Preparations 248 

LXXVII Hallowe'en Revels 250 

LXXVIII A Foretaste of Winter 255 

LXXIX Surprising Alice and Harry 258 

LXXX A Dinner for the Bridal Party 261 

LXXXI Rehearsing the Ceremony 264 

LXXXII After the Wedding 267 

LXXXIII A "Happen-in" Luncheon 270 

LXXXIV Uncle John a Guest at Dinner 273 

LXXXV During the Teachers' Convention . . 275 

LXXXVI A Luncheon for the Teachers 278 

LXXXVII Ruth Comes to Luncheon 281 

LXXXVIII The Hickory Log 284 

LXXXIX Some Christmas Plans 287 

XC After the Football Game 289 

XCI A Thanksgiving Dinner in the Coun- 
try 292 

XCII Planning the Christmas Cards 295 

XCIII Harry and Alice Return 299 

XCIV The Firelight Social 302 

XCV Alice's Troubles 305 

XCVI Some of Bettina's Christmas Plans 308 
XCVII More of Bettina's Christmas Shop- 
ping 311 

XCVIII Christmas Gifts 313 



Contents 



CHAPTER PAGE 

XCIX A Christmas Shower 316 

C Bettina Gives a Dinner 320 

CI Bob's Christmas Gift to Bettina 322 

CII A Christmas Breakfast 325 

Oil A Supper for Two 327 

CIV Alice Comes to Luncheon 331 

CV Ruth Stays to Dinner 334 

CVI How Bettina Made Candy 337 

CVII Ruth's Plans 339 

CVIII A Luncheon for Three k 342 

CIX The Dixons Come to Dinner 345 

CX A Steamed Pudding 349 

CXI On Valentine's Day 352 

CXII Ruth Gives a Dinner for Four 354 

CXIII Alice Practices Economy 357 

CXIV A Company Dinner for Bob 360 

CXV Supper After the Theatre 363 

CXVI Washington's Birthday Plans 366 

CXVII An Afternoon with Bettina 368 

CXVIII A Washington's Birthday Tea 370 

CXIX Another Oven Dinner 373 

CXX Bob Makes Pop-Overs 376 

CXXI In March 379 

CXXII A Fireless Cooker for Aunt Lucy. . . . 382 

CXXIII The Dixons Drop in for Dessert 384 

CXXIV Ruth Passes By 387 

CXXV Bettina Entertains a Small Neighbor 389 

CXXVI A Sunday Night Tea 392 

CXXVII A Shamrock Luncheon 395 

CXXVIII At Dinner 397 

CXXIX An Anniversary Dinner 399 

CXXX Ruth Comes to Dinner 402 

CXXXI Mildred's Spring Vacation 407 

CXXXII Helping Bettina 410 

CXXXIII Helping with a Company Dinner 413 

CXXXIV Mildred's Day 415 

CXXXV Polly Comes for Mildred 418 



Contents 

CHAPTER PAGE 

CXXXVI Mildred's Plans 421 

CXXXVII A Luncheon for Polly 424 

CXXXVIII Furs to Put Away 427 

CXXXIX Planning a Children's Party 429 

CXL The Party Circus 432 

CXLI Planning a Luncheon 435 

CXLII The New Car 437 

CXLIII In Housecleaning Time 441 

CXLIV Mrs. Dixon Happens in 443 

CXLV Engagement Presents 446 

CXLVI With Housecleaning Over 449 

CXLVII Spring Marketing 451 

CXLVIII Plans for the Wedding 453 

CXLIX Entertaining the Wedding Guests.. 455 

CL The Bridesmaids' Dinner 457 

CLI A Morning Wedding in June 459 

CLII The First Year Ends 461 



J 




JUNE. 

No, you cannot live on kisses, 
Though the honeymoon is sweet, 

Harken, brides, a true word this is, — 
Even lovers have to eat. 



CHAPTER I 



HOME AT LAST 




«TTOME at last!" sighed 
A X Bettina happily as the 



hot and dusty travelers left the 
train. 

"Why that contented sigh?" 
asked Bob. "Because our wed- 
ding trip is over? Well, any- 
how, Bettina, it's after five. 
Shall we have dinner at the 
hotel?" 

"Hotel ? Why, Bob ! with our 
house and our dishes and our silver just waiting for us? I'm 
ashamed of you ! We'll take the first car for home — a street- 
car, not a taxi ! Our extravagant days are over, and the time 
has come to show you that Bettina knows how to keep house. 
You think that you love me now, Bobby, but just wait till you 
sit down to a real strawberry shortcake made by a real cook 
in a real home !" 

Half an hour later Bob was unlocking the door of the new 
brown bungalow. "Isn't it a dear?" cried Bettina proudly. 
"Wlien we've had time to give it grass and shrubs and flowers 
and a vegetable garden, no place in town will equal it ! And 
as for porch furniture, how I'd like to get at Mother's attic and 
transform some of her discarded things !" 

"Just now I'd rather get at some of Mother's cooking!" 
grinned Bob. 

II 



12 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Oh, dear, I forgot ! I'll have supper ready in ten minutes. 
Do you remember my emergency shelf? Why, Bob— L Bob, 
they must have known we were coming! Here's ice — and 
milk — and cream — and butter — and bread — and rolls, and even 
a grape fruit! They knew, and didn't meet the train because 
they thought we would prefer to have our first meal alone! 
Wasn't that dear of them? And this will save you a trip to 
the corner grocery !" 

Bettina fastened a trim percale bungalow apron over her 
traveling suit, and swiftly and surely assembled the little meal. 

"I like that apron," said Bob. "It reminds me of the rainy 
day when we fixed the emergency shelf. That was fun." 

"Yes, and work too," said Bettina, "but I'm glad we did it. 
Do you remember how much I saved by getting things in dozen 
and half dozen lots? And Mother showed me how much 
better it was to buy the larger sizes in bottled things, because 
in buying the smaller bottles you spend most of your money 
for the glass. Now that you have to pay my bills, Bob, you'll 
be glad that I know those things !" 

"I think you know a great deal," said Bob admiringly. "Lots 
of girls can cook, but mighty few know how to be economical 
at the same time ! It's great to be your " 

"Dinner is served," Bettina interrupted. "It's a 'pick-up 
meal,' but I'm hungry, aren't you? And after this, sir, no 
more canned things !" 

And Bob sat down to : 

Creamed Tuna on Toast Strips 

Canned Peas with Butter Sauce 

Rolls Butter 

Strawberry Preserves 

Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Creamed Tuna on Toast Strips (Two portions) 

i T-butter )/ 2 slice pimento 

i T-flour i C-milk 

Y\ t-salt 3 slices of bread 

Yz C-tuna 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 13 

Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and pimento. Mix well. 
Gradually pour in the milk. Allow the mixture to boil one 
minute. Stir constantly. Add the fish, cook one minute and 
pour over toasted strips of bread. 

Hot Chocolate (Three cups) 

i square of chocolate 2 C-milk 
3 T-sugar yi t-vanilla 

2/3 C-water 3 marshmallows 

Cook chocolate, sugar and water until a thin custard is 
formed. Add milk gradually and bring to a boil. Whip with 
an Qgg beater, as this breaks up the albumin found in choco- 
late, and prevents the coating from forming over the top. Add 
vanilla and marshmallows. Allow to stand a moment and pour 
into the cups. 

Strawberry Preserves (Six one-half pt. glasses) 

4 lbs. berries 3lbs. sugar 

3 C-water 

Pick over, wash and hull the berries. Make a syrup by 
boiling the sugar and water fifteen minutes. Fill sterilized jars 
with the berries. Cover with syrup and let stand fifteen 
minutes to settle. Add more berries. Adjust rubbers and 
covers. Place on a folded cloth in a kettle of cold water. Heat 
water to boiling point and cook slowly one hour. Screw on 
covers securely. 

On Bettina's Emergency Shelf 

6 cans pimentos (small size) 6 cans tomatoes 

6 cans tuna (small size) 6 pt. jars pickles 

6 cans salmon (small size) 6 pt. jars olives 

6 jars dried beef 6 small cans condensed milk 

12 cans corn 6 boxes sweet wafers 

12 cans peas 1 pound box salted codfish 

6 cans string beans 3 pkg. marshmallows 

6 cans lima beans 3 cans mushrooms 
6 cans devilled ham (small size) 2 pkg. macaroni 



CHAPTER II 
BETTINA'S FIRST REAL DINNER 

^CAY, isn't it great to be alive!" exclaimed Bob, as he 

^ looked across the rose-decked table at the flushed but 
happy Bettina. "And a beefsteak dinner, too !" 

"Steak is expensive, dear, and you'll not get it often, but as 
this is our first real dinner in our own home, I had to cele- 
brate. I bought enough for two meals, because buying steak 
for one meal for two people 'is beyond any modest purse! So 
you'll meet that steak again tomorrow, but I don't believe that 
you'll bow in recognition !" 

"So you marketed today, did you?" 

"Indeed I did ! I bought a big basket, and went at it like 
a seasoned housekeeper. I had all the staples to get, you 
know, and lots of other things. After dinner I'll show you 
the labelled glass jars on my shelves ; it was such fun putting 
things away! June is a wonderful month for housekeepers. 
I've planned the meals for days ahead, because I know that's 
best. Then I'll go to the market several times a week, and 
if I plan properly I won't have to order by telephone. It 
seems so extravagant to buy in that way unless you know 
exactly what you are getting. I like to plan for left-overs, 
too. For instance, the peas in this salad were left from 
yesterday's dinner, and the pimento is from that can I opened. 
Then, too, I cooked tomo'rrow's potatoes with these to save 
gas and bother. You'll have them served in a different way, 

of course. And Oh, yes, Bob," Bettina chattered on, "I 

saw Ruth down town, and have asked all five of my brides- 

14 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 15 

maids to luncheon day after tomorrow. Won't that be fun? 
But I promise you that the neglected groom shall have every 
one of the good things when he comes home at night !" 

"It makes me feel happy, I can tell you, to have a home like 
this. It's pleasant to be by ourselves, but at the same time 
I can't help wishing that some of the bachelors I know could 
see it all and taste your cooking !" 

"Well, Bob, I want you to feel free to have a guest at any 
time. If my dinners are good enough for you, I'm sure they're 
good enough for any guest whom you may bring. And it 
isn't very hard to make a meal for three out of a meal for two. 
Now, Bobby, if you're ready, will you please get the dessert ?" 

"What ? Strawberry shortcake ? Well, this is living ! I tell 
you what, Bettina, I call this a regular man-size meal !" 

It consisted of : 

Pan-Broiled Steak New Potatoes in Cream 

Baking-Powder Biscuits Butter 

Rhubarb Sauce Pea and Celery Salad 

Strawberry Short-cake Cream 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Pan-Broiled Steak (Two portions) 

i lb. steak % t-pepper 

i T-butter 2 T-hot water 

1 t-salt 1 t-parsley chopped 

Wipe the meat carefully with a wet cloth. Remove super- 
fluous fat and any gristle. Cut the edges to prevent them 
from curling up. When the broiling oven is very hot, place 
the meat, without any fat, upon a hot flat pan, directly under 
the blaze. Brown both sides very quickly. Turn often. Re- 
duce heat and continue cooking about seven minutes, or longer 
if desired. Place on a warm platter ; season with salt, pepper 
and bits of butter. Set in the oven a moment to melt the 
butter. If salt is added while cooking, the juices will be drawn 
out. A gravy may be made by adding hot water, butter, salt, 
pepper and parsley to the pan. Pour the gravy over the 
steak. 



16 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

New Potatoes in Cream (Two portions) 

4 new potatoes i qt. water 
i t-salt 

Scrape four medium sized new potatoes. Cook in boiling 
water (salted) until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain 
off the water, and shake the kettle over the fire gently, to allow 
the steam to escape and make the potatoes mealy. Make the 
following white sauce and pour over the potatoes. 

White Sauce for New Potatoes (Two portions) 

2 T-butter i c-milk 

2 T-flour Y ? t-salt 

% t-paprika 

Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and paprika. Thoroughly 
mix, slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Allow sauce to 
cook two minutes. 

Strawberry Shortcake (Two portions) 

2 T-lard 1/3 t-salt 

1 T-butter 4 t-baking powder 

2 c-sifted flour 1 qt. strawberries 
Y\ C-milk 2/3 C-sugar 

Cut the fat into the flour, salt and baking powder until the 
consistency of cornmeal. Gradually add the milk, using a 
knife to mix. Do not handle any more than absolutely neces- 
sary. Toss the dough upon a floured board or a piece of clean 
brown paper. Pat into the desired shape, and place in a pan. 
Bake in a hot oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Split, spread with 
butter, and place strawberries, crushed and sweetened, between 
and on top. Serve with cream. 



CHAPTER III 
BETTINA'S FIRST GUEST 

4CTTELLO! Yes, this is Bettina ! Why, Bob, of course! 

- •*- A Is he a real woman-hater ? No, I've never met any, 
but I'll just invite Alice, too, and tomorrow you won't be 
calling him that. Six-thirty ? Yes, I'll be ready for you both ; 
I'm so glad you asked him. He'll be our first guest ! Good- 
bye !" 

Bettina left the telephone with more misgivings than her 
tone had indicated. She couldn't disappoint Bob, and she 
liked unexpected company, but the dinner which she had 
planned was prepared largely from the recipes filed as "left- 
overs" in her box of indexed cards. 

''Well, Bob will like it, anyhow," she declared confidently, 
"and if Alice can come, we'll have enough scintillating table- 
talk to make up for disappointments." 

Alice accepted with delight, promising to wear "a dream of 
a gown that just came home," and confessing to a sentimental 
feeling at the thought of dining with such a new bride and 
groom. 

"Let's see," said Bettina in her spick and span little kitchen , 
"there is meat enough, but I must hard-boil some eggs to help 
out these potatoes. 'Potatoes Anna' will be delicious. Good- 
ness, what would my home economics teacher have said if she 
had heard me say 'hard-boil'? They mustn't really be boile'd 
at all, just 'hard-cooked' in water kept at the boiling point. 
There will be enough baked green peppers for four, and 
enough of the pudding, and if I add some very good coffee 

17 



18 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

I don't believe that Bob's Mr. Harrison will feel that women 
are such nuisances after all! It isn't an elaborate meal, but 
it's wholesome, and at any rate, our gas bill will be a little 
smaller because everything goes into the oven." 

When Alice arrived, Bettina was putting the finishing 
touches on her table. "Alice, you look stunning !" 

"And you look lovely, which is better! And the table is 
charming! Those red clover blossoms in that brown basket 
make a perfect center-piece! How did you think of it?" 

"Mother Necessity reminded me, my dear! My next door 
neighbor has roses, but I covet some for my luncheon tomor- 
row, and did not like to ask for any today. So I had to use 
these red clover blooms from our own back yard. They are 
simple, like the dinner." 

"Don't you envy me, Harrison?" asked Bob at the table. 
"This is my third day of real home cooking ! You were unex- 
pected company, too !" 

The dinner consisted of : 

Boubons with Tomato Sauce 
Potatoes Anna Baked Green Peppers Stuffed 

Bread Butter 

Cottage Pudding Lemon Sauce 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Boubons (Four portions) 

I C-cooked meat ground fine (one or more 
kinds may be used) 

2 T-fresh bread crumbs 

% t-pepper 
% C-milk 

I T-green pepper or pimento chopped fine 
Y\ t-celery salt 

I egg 
y 2 t-salt 

I t-butter (melted) 

Beat the egg, add milk, seasonings, melted butter, bread- 
crumbs and meat. Mix thoroughly. Fill buttered cups three- 
fourths full of mixture. Place in a pan of boiling water, and 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 19 

bake in a moderate oven fifteen minutes. The mixture is done 
as soon as it resists pressure in the center. Allow them to 
remain in the pans a few minutes, then remove carefully upon 
a serving plate. They may be made in a large mould or indi- 
vidual ones. Serve with the following sauce. 

Tomato Sauce (Four portions) 

i C-tomatoes 
i slice onion ]/. 

4 bay leaves 2 T-butter 

4 cloves 2 T-flour 

y 2 t-salt 

Simmer the tomatoes, onion, bay leaves, cloves, sugar and 
water for fifteen minutes, rub through the strainer. Melt but- 
ter, add flour and salt, add strained tomato juice and pulp. 
Cook until the desired consistency. 

Potatoes Anna (Four portions) 

i r A C-cooked diced potatoes J / 2 t-celery salt 

2 hard-cooked eggs ^4 t-onion salt 

1 C-thin white sauce 

Place alternate layers of diced cooked potatoes and sliced 
hard-cooked eggs in a baking dish. Season. Pour a thin white 
sauce over all of this. Place in a moderate oven fifteen min- 
utes. 

Stuffed Green Peppers (Four portions) 
4 green peppers 4 C-boiling water 

Remove the stems of the peppers and take out all the con- 
tents. Remove small slices from the blossom end so they will 
stand. Cover peppers with boiling water, allow to stand five 
minutes and drain. Fill with any desired mixture. Bake in a 
moderate oven twenty-five minutes, basting frequently with 
hot water. 

Filling for Peppers (Four portions) 

1 C-fresh bread crumbs y 2 t-salt 

1 t-chopped onion or % T-onion salt 1 T-melted butter 

1/3 C-chopped ham, or 1 T-salt pork ^ t-paprika 

2 T-water 



20 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Mix thoroughly and fill the pepper cases. 

Baked Cottage Pudding (Four portions) 

i C-flour 1/3 C-sugar 

1 2/3 t-baking powder 2 T-melted butter 

34 t-salt y 2 C-milk 

1 well-beaten egg 34 t-vanilla or lemon extract 

Mix dry ingredients, add egg and milk. Beat well and add 
melted butter and extract. Bake twenty-five minutes in a well 
buttered mould. Serve hot with the following sauce : 

Lemon Sauce (Four portions) 

J /2 C-sugar 1 t-butter 

i]/ 2 1 -flour 1 t-lemon extract or y 2 t-lemon juice 

1 C-hot water y 2 t-salt 

Mix sugar, flour and salt. Slowly add the hot water. Cook 
until thick, stirring constantly. Add flavoring and butter. 



CHAPTER IV 

BETTINA GIVES A LUNCHEON 

*i(~\ YOU darling Bettina ! Did you do it all yourself?" 
^-^ Mary exclaimed impulsively, as the girls admired the 
dainty first course which their hostess set before them. 
"Everything is pink and white, like the wedding !" 

"Yes," said Bettina, "and those maline bows on the basket 
of roses actually attended my wedding. And after this is over, 
you may see that maline again. I expect to press it out and 
put it away for other pink luncheons in other Junes ! Today, 
since my guests were to be just my bridesmaids, I thought that 
a pink luncheon would be the most appropriate kind." 

"Isn't it fine to be in Bettina's own house? I can't realize 
it!" said Ellen. "And the idea of daring to cook a whole 
luncheon and serve it in courses all by herself ! Why, Bettina, 
how did you know what to have ?" 

"Well," said Bettina, "I went to the market and saw all the 
inexpensive things that one can buy in June! (They had to 
be inexpensive ! Why, if I were to tell you just what this 
luncheon cost, you'd laugh. But I want you to like it all before 
I give that secret away.) And then in planning my menu, I 
thought of pinky things that went together. That was all, you 
see." 

"But didn't it take hours and hours to prepare everything?" 
"Why, no. I thought it all out first, and wrote it down, and 
did most of it yesterday. I've found that five minutes of 
planning is worth five hours of unplanned work. I haven't 
hurried, and as Bob will have this same meal as his dinner 
tonight, I didn't have to think of him except to plan for more. 

21 



22 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

You see, I estimated each portion as carefully as I could, for it 
isn't necessary to have a lot of left-over things. Tonight I'll 
wear this same pink gown at dinner so that Bob will get every 
bit that he can of my first luncheon except the silly girls who 
flattered the cook." 

"Bettina, there are so many things I'd like to ask you !" said 
Ruth, who was a little conscious of the shining ring on her left 
hand. "Tell me, for instance, how you shaped these cunning 
timbales. With your hands ?" 

"With a conical ice-cream mould. It is so easy that way." 

"And this salad ! Fred is so fond of salad, but I don't know 
a thing about making it." 

"Well, I washed the lettuce thoroughly, and when it was 
very wet I put it on the ice in a cloth. I poured boiling water 
over these tomatoes to make the skins peel off easily. And, 
oh, yes, these cucumbers are crisp because I kept the slices in 
ice water for awhile before I served them. Good salad is 
always very cold ; the ingredients ought to be chilled before 
they are mixed." 

"These dear little cakes, Bettina ! How could you make 
them in such cunning shapes ?" 

"With a fancy cutter. And I dipped it in warm water each 
time before I used it, so that it would cut evenly. I'd love to 
show you girls all that I know about cooking. Do learn it now 
while you're at home ; it will save much labor and even tears ! 
Why, Bob said " 

"I knew that was coming !" laughed Alice. "Girls, in self- 
defense, let's keep the conversation strictly on Betty's menu, 
and away from Betty's husband !" 

And so they discussed : 



Strawberries au Naturel 

Kornlet Soup Whipped Cream 

Croutons 

Salmon Timbales with Egg Sauce 

Buttered Beets Potato Croquettes 

Pinwheel Biscuit Butter Balls 

Vegetable Salad Salad Dressing 

Wafers 

Fancy Cakes Coffee 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 23 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Strawberries au Naturel (Ten portions) 

2 quarts strawberries I C-powdered sugar 

Pick over selected berries, place in a colander and wash, 
draining carefully. Press powdered sugar into cordial glasses 
to shape into a small mould. Remove from glasses onto cen- 
ters of paper doilies placed on fruit plates. Attractively 
arrange ten berries around each mound. Berries should be 
kept cool and not hulled. Natural leaves may be used very 
effectively on the doily. 

Croutons for the Soup (Ten portions) 

4 slices bread 2 T-butter (melted) 
% t-salt 

Cut stale bread in one-third inch cubes. Brown in the oven. 
Add melted butter and salt. Mix and reheat the croutons. 

Salmon Timbales (Eight portions) 

1 C-salmon flaked 2/3 C-milk 

%■ C-bread crumbs 1 T-lemon juice 

1 slightly beaten egg Y% t-paprika 

Y A t-salt 

Mix ingredients in order named. Fill small buttered moulds 

or cups one-half full. Set in a pan of hot water, and bake 

twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Serve with following 

sauce : 

Egg Sauce (Eight portions) 

3 T-butter y 2 t-salt 
3 T-flour % t-pepper 
iy 2 C-milk 1 egg yolk 

Melt the butter, stir flour in well, and slowly add the milk. 
Let it boil about two minutes, stirring constantly. Season, add 
yolk of tgg, and mix well. (The oil from the salmon may be 
substituted for melted butter as far as it will go.) 

White Cakes (Sixteen cakes) 

1/3 C-butter 3 t-baking powder 

1 C-sugar y 2 t-lemon extract 
2/3 C-milk y 2 t-vanilla 

2 C-sifted flour 3 egg whiter 



24 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Cream butter, add sugar, and continue creaming. Alter- 
nately add the dry ingredients mixed and sifted. Add the 
milk. Beat well, add flavoring. Fold in the stiffly beaten 
whites. Spread evenly, two-thirds of an inch thick, on waxed 
paper, placed in a pan. Bake twenty minutes in moderate 
oven. Remove from oven, allow cake to remain in pan five 
minutes. Carefully remove and cool. Cut with fancy cutters. 

White Mountain Cream Icing for Cakes 

i C-granulated sugar % C-water 

*/& t-cream tartar I egg white 

y 2 t-vanilla 

Boil the sugar, water and cream of tartar together without 
stirring. Remove from fire as soon as the syrup hairs when 
dropped from a spoon. Pour very slowly onto the stiffly beaten 
e gg whites. Beat vigorously with sweeping strokes until cool. 
If icing gets too hard to spread, add a little warm water and 
keep beating. Add extract and spread on cakes. Decorate 
with tiny pink candies. 



CHAPTER V 
BOB HELPS TO GET DINNER 

f f/^ UESS who!" said a voice behind Bettina, as two hands 

^J" blinded her eyes. 

"Why, Bob, dear ! Good for you ! How did you get home 
so early?" 

"I caught a ride with Dixon in his new car. And I thought 
you might need me to help get dinner ; it's nice to be needed ! 
But here I've been picturing you toiling over a hot stove, and, 
instead, I find you on the porch with a magazine, as cool as a 
cucumber !" 

"The day of toiling over a hot stove in summer is over. At 
least for anyone with sense ! But I'm glad you did come home 
early, and you can help with dinner. Will you make the 
French dressing for the salad? See, I'll measure it out, and 
you can stir it this way with a fork until it's well mixed and a 
little thick." 

"I know a much better way than that. Just watch your 
Uncle Bob; see? I'll put it in this little Mason jar and shake 
it. It's a lot easier and — there you are! We'll use what we 
need tonight, put the jar away in the ice-box, and the next 
time we can give it another good shaking before we use it." 

"Why, Bob, what an ingenious boy you are ! I never would 
have thought of that !" 

"You married a man with brains, Betty dear! What is 
there besides the salad ?" 

"Halibut steak. It's Friday, you know, and there is such 
good inexpensive fish on the market. A pound is plenty for 

25 



26 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

us. The potatoes are ready for the white sauce, the beans 
are in the fireless cooker, and for dessert there is fresh pine- 
apple sliced. The pineapple is all ready. Will you get it, 
dear? In the ice-box in a covered jar." 

"Why didn't you slice it into the serving dish?" 

"Because it had to be covered tight. Pineapple has a pene- 
trating odor, and milk and butter absorb it in no time." 

"What else shall I do, Madam Bettina?" 

"Well, you may fix the lemon for the fish. No, not sliced ; 
a slice is too hard to handle. Just cut it in halves and then 
once the other way, in quarters ; see ? You may also cut up 
a little of that parsley for the creamed new potatoes. That 
reminds me that I am going to have parsley growing in a 
kitchen window box some day. Now you can take the beans 
out of the cooker, and I'll put butter sauce on them. No, it 
isn't really a sauce, — just melted butter with salt and pepper. 
There, Bobby dear ! Dinner is served, and you helped ! How 
do you like the coreopsis on the table ?" 

"You always manage to have flowers of some kind, don't 
you, Betty ? I'm growing so accustomed to that little habit of 
yours that I suppose I wouldn't have any appetite if I had to 
eat on an ordinary undecorated table !" 

"Don't you make fun of me, old fellow ! You'd have an 
appetite no matter when, how or what you had to eat ! But 
things are good tonight, aren't they?" 

Bob had helped to prepare : 

Halibut Steak New Potatoes in Cream 

String Beans Butter Sauce 

Bread Butter 

Tomato, Cucumber and Pimento Salad French Dressing 

Sliced Fresh Pineapple 

BETTINA J S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Halibut Steak (Two portions) 

2/3 lb. Halibut Steak */> t-salt 
3 T-flour X A t-paprika 

Wash one pound of Halibut steak and wipe dry. Cut in 
two pieces. Roll in flour, and cook ten minutes in a frying pan 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 27 

in hot fat. Brown on one side, and then on the other. Season 
with salt and paprika. Serve very hot. 

String Beans with Butter Sauce (Two portions) 

1Y2 C-string beans i T-butter 

2 C-water I t-salt 

Ya t-paprika 

Remove ends and strings from green beans. Add water and 
cook over a moderate fire for twenty-five minutes. Drain off 
the water, add butter, salt and paprika. Reheat and serve. 

Tomato, Cucumber and Pimento Salad (Two portions) 

i tomato sliced i t-salt 

]/ 2 C-sliced cucumbers Y4 t-paprika 
i T-pimento cut fine 2 pieces lettuce 

Arrange lettuce on serving dishes. Place portions of tomato, 
cucumber and pimento on the lettuce. Sprinkle with salt and 
paprika. Serve with French dressing. 

French Dressing (Two portions) 

4 T-olive oil z / 2 t-salt 
2 T-vinegar Ya t-paprika 

Mix ingredients, which have been thoroughly chilled, and 
beat until the mixture thickens. Pour over the vegetables. 

Pineapple Sliced (Two portions) 

1 pineapple Y* C-sugar 

Remove the skin and eyes from the pineapple. Cut cross- 
wise in half-inch slices, and the slices in cubes, at the same time 
discarding the core. Sprinkle with sugar and stand in a cold 
place for an hour before serving. 



CHAPTER VI 

COUSIN MATILDA CALLS 

SSTTELLO, is this you, Bettina? This is Mother! I'll 
■*- ■*• have to speak in a low voice. Who do you think is 
here ? No, — Cousin Matilda ! Just between trains, but she 
says she must see how you are 'situated' ! Clementine has 
such a wonderful establishment now, you know! No, of 
course not, but I want her to see how happy you are. She 
seems to have the idea that an 'establishment' is necessary ! 
Just to see the house, you know ! I know the porch isn't 
ready, but don't worry ! About three, then. Good-by !" 

That afternoon Bettina looked anxiously through the living 
room window across the bare little front yard. If only critical 
Cousin Matilda had waited a few months before coming ! But 
then, the only thing to do was to be as cheerful about it as 
possible 

"So this is little Bettina !" said a majestic voice at the door. 
"And how is love in a cottage? How charmingly simple 
everything is !" 

"They planned it all just as they wanted it," explained 
Bettina's mother proudly. "On a small scale, of course, but 
perhaps some day " 

"But I couldn't ever be happier than I am right now, Cousin 
Matilda. What do you think of our big living room? Browns 
and tans seemed best and safest in a little house like this, and 
I knew I shouldn't tire of them as of any other color ! I do 
so dislike going into a bungalow with one little room in blue, 
another in pink, and so on. The walls are all alike, even in 

28 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 29 

the bedrooms. And the curtains are just simple cotton voiles, 
ecru in the living and dining rooms, and white in the bed- 
rooms. No side curtains to catch the dust and keep out the 
air. But I beg your pardon for seeming too complacent ; I 
love it all so that I just can't help boasting. " 

"What is this, my dear? A wedding gift?" 

"Yes, isn't it lovely? It is a sampler in cross-stitch that 
Bob's great-great-grandmother made ! His Aunt Margaret had 
it put under the glass cover of this tea cart, and gave it to us 
for a wedding present. See, the cart is brown willow, and I 
think it looks well with our furniture, don't you? This is to 
be a living porch, but we haven't furnished it yet except for 
this green matting rug. And Bob brought that hanging basket 
home from the florist's the other day. . . . Oh, yes, this is my 
Japanese garden ! Bob laughs at me, I have so much fun 
watching it." 

"What a lovely table decoration those red cherries make in 
your dining room, my dear ! Like a picture, in that piece of 
dull green pottery !" 

"Yes, Bob says I decorate the table differently for every 
meal! We use this breakfast alcove for breakfast, Sunday 
evening tea, or any informal meal when we are alone. You 
see how convenient it is ! I do want to put a round serving 
table with leaves on our living porch. Then we can eat there 
on warm evenings in summer." 

"Bettina is very accomplished in economy," said her mother. 
"You must let her tell you some of her methods." 

"Clementine would be interested, I'm sure," said Cousin 
Matilda in her languid way. "Is this your guest room?" 

"Yes, and Bob and I are proud of that. We white enameled 
the furniture ourselves ! It is some that we found in a second- 
hand store, and it was certainly a bargain, though it didn't 
look it at the time. I sewed the rags together for these blue 
and white rugs. Bob made that little open desk out of a small 
table that we found somewhere. Now that it is white, too, I 
think it is cunning. And, Cousin Matilda, I give you three 
guesses as to the place in which I keep my sewing machine !" 

"Why, I haven't seen it yet. In the kitchen ?" 



30 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Goodness, no ! Well, I'll tell you ! This looks like a dress- 
ing table, but is merely a shelf with a mirror above it. The 
shelf has a cretonne cover and 'petticoat' that reaches the floor. 
And underneath it — behold the sewing machine ! Bob made 
the shelf high enough and wide enough to let the sewing 
machine slip under it ! But, Cousin Matilda, you must be tired 
of Bettina's economies! Please sit down with mother in the 
living room and I will get the 'party.' " 

And Bettina wheeled her tea cart into the kitchen, returning 
with luncheon napkins, plates, glasses, a pitcher of iced fruit 
juice, a plate of little chocolate cakes, and several sprays of 
wild roses. 

"What delicious little cakes, Bettina ! At least you can't be 
called economical when you serve such rich and dainty food as 
tfeis !" 

"I must plead guilty still, Cousin Matilda. I made these 
little cakes partly from dry bread crumbs. The fruit juice is 
mostly from the pineapple which Bob had for dessert last night. 
I cooked the core with about two cups of water and added it 
to the lemonade." 

"Bettina, Bettina ! How did you learn these things ? Rob- 
ert is certainly a lucky man, and I'm sure that some day he 
will be a wealthy one! You must give me the recipes you 
used !" 

And Bettina wrote them down as follows : 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Little Chocolate Cakes (Twelve cakes) 

2 eggs i C-dry bread crumbs 

% C-butter 3 T-flour 
Y> C-sugar 1 t-vanilla 

3 squares chocolate 

Cream the butter, add sugar, and cream the mixture. Add 
the beaten eggs and stir well. Add melted chocolate, bread 
crumbs, flour and flavoring. Spread the mixture very thinly 
on a buttered pan, and bake twenty minutes in a slow oven. 
Shape with a tiny biscuit cutter, and put together in pairs with 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 31 

mountain cream icing between and on top. (Icing recipe al- 
ready given.) 

Fruit Juice (Eight glasses) 

I C-sugar 2 C-water 
lYt C-lemon juice 

Boil sugar and water ten minutes without stirring, add lemon 
juice, and any other fruit juices. Cool and bottle. Keep on 
ice and dilute with ice water when desired for use. Serve 
mint leaves with the fruit juice. 




JULY. 



The market is full of delights in July: 

Fresh vegetables, berries, red cherries for pie! 

Good housewives and telephones seldom agree, 
So market yourself! You can buy as you see! 



CHAPTER VII 
A NEW-FASHIONED SUNDAY DINNER 




*f \T OU will go to church with 
•*• us this morning, Bet- 
tina ?" asked Bob's cousin Henry, 
known also as the Rev. Henry 
Clinkersmith, as he came into 
Bettina's immaculate kitchen one 
Sunday. 

"Yes, indeed, I will go!" Bet- 
tina answered him. "Is it nearly 
ten o'clock ? Oh, yes, nine forty- 
five. I'll go at once and get 
ready." 

Cousin Henry had arrived late Saturday evening. He was 
filling the pulpit of a friend that Sunday morning. 

Bettina finished arranging the low bowl of pansies which 
was to be her table decoration. "For the dinner table," she 
explained to Cousin Henry. 

"And Bob," she said as they walked to church (Cousin 
Henry was ahead with an old friend), "I do believe he was 
worried about dinner. There wasn't a trace of any prepara- 
tion to be seen ! You know I made the cake and the salad 
dressing yesterday, and the lettuce was on the ice. The sher- 
bet was on the porch (I bought it, you know), and the lamb 
and potatoes were in the cooker." 

"Well, let him worry ! How long will it take to get it ready 
after we get home?" 



33 



34 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"About fifteen minutes. The table is set, but I'll have to 
warm the plates and take things up. Then there's the gravy 
to make, of course." 

"All I can say is this," said Cousin Henry at dinner, as he 
passed his plate for a second helping, "since you've explained 
the mysteries of the fireless cooker, I realize how it would 
have helped those cold Sunday dinners of the past generation. 
The women could have obeyed the fourth commandment and 
given their families a good Sunday dinner, too !" 

That day they had : 

Leg of Lamb with Potatoes Lamb Gravy 

Head Lettuce Thousand Island Dressing 

Mint Sauce 

Bread Butter 

Pineapple Sherbet Bettina's Loaf Cake 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Roast Leg of Lamb with Potatoes (Ten portions) 

A 4-lb. leg of lamb % t-paprika 
6 large potatoes I T-salt 

2 T-lard 

Wash the lamb with a damp cloth. Wipe dry and sprinkle 
with two teaspoons of salt. Place the lard in a frying-pan. 
When hot, add the lamb, and brown well on all sides. Place 
the meat in the fireless utensil. Sprinkle the potatoes with 
salt and paprika. Arrange these about the leg of lamb. Place 
the disks, heated for baking, over and under the baking pan. 
Cook three hours in the fireless. Use the drippings for gravy. 

Lamb Gravy (Four portions) 

4 T-drippings 2 T-flour 
2/3 C-water % t-salt 

Place half of the drippings in a sauce-pan. Add the flour, 
and allow it to brown. Add slowly the water, salt and the 
rest of the drippings (two tablespoonsful). Boil one minute. 



With Bettina's Best Recipes 35 

Mint Sauce (Four portions) 

% C-mint leaves 4 T-vinegar 
y 2 C-boiling water H t-paprika 
2 T-sugar J4 t-salt 

Chop the mint leaves very fine. Add the boiling water and 
sugar. Cover closely and let stand one-half hour. Add the 
vinegar, pepper and salt. 

Loaf Cake (Bettina's Nut Special) (Twelve pieces) 

1/3 C-butter 3 t-baking powder 

1 C-"C" sugar % C-nut-meats, cut fine 

1 egg Va t-salt 

iy 2 C-flour 2/3 C-milk 

]/ 2 t-cinnamon 1 t-vanilla 

y 2 t-lemon extract 

Cream the butter, add the sugar and the egg. Mix well. 
Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nut-meats, salt, milk, 
vanilla and lemon extract. Beat two minutes. Pour into a 
loaf-cake pan prepared with waxed paper. Bake thirty min- 
utes in a moderate oven. 



CHAPTER VIII 
CELEBRATING THE FOURTH 

f f 'VTOW, boys, run and play while Alice and I set the picnic 

-^ table!" said Bettina to Bob and Mr. Harrison. "See 
if the fish are biting ! Cultivate your patience as well as your 
appetites and we'll surprise you soon !" 

"Bettina, let me help you unpack. Everything looks so 
dainty and interesting !" said Alice, as Bob and Mr. Harrison 
strolled off toward the river. "You ought to have allowed me 
to bring something, although I'll admit that I do enjoy being 
surprised. You were a dear to bring me with you!" 

"I ?" said Bettina. "Of course I'm glad to have you here — 
no one is better fun — but I wish you had heard something that 
Bob told me. He and Harry Harrison were planning to go 
fishing today, all by themselves, until Harry suggested that 
Bob might like to bring me along. And then he added as an 
afterthought, that as three is a crowd, Miss Alice might be 
induced to come too. (Why is it that 'Miss Alice' or 'Miss 
Kate' or 'Miss May' always sounds so like a confirmed bache- 
lor ?) Bob chuckled when he told me how careless and offhand 
Harry tried to be!" 

"Betty, how pretty those pasteboard plates are with the flag- 
seals pasted on them!" 

"I saw some ready-made Fourth of July plates, but it was 
more economical to make my own. And how do you like the 
red, white and blue paper napkins and lunch cloth? 'Lunch 
paper,' I ought to say, I suppose. Alice, you arrange the fruit 
in the center in this basket, with some napkins around it, and 

36 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 37 

with these little flags sticking out of it in every direction. But 
first, my dear, please tell me why you changed the subject 
when I was speaking of Mr. Harrison ?" 

"Those devilled eggs wrapped in frilled tissue-paper look 
just like torpedoes." 

"Alice, Alice, I learned something new about you today. 
Harry said that society girls got on his nerves, but that 'Miss 
Alice' seemed sensible enough I" 

"Goodness, Betty, he has disagreed with every single thing 
I've said, so far ! If he is being pleasant behind my back, I 
don't see why he should be so disapproving in his manner to 
me ! But if he is really beginning to think me sensible, let us 
by all means encourage him ! Hide my frivolous new hat in 
the lunch-basket, and give me something useful to be doing. 
Can't I appear to be mixing the salad ? . . . Honestly, Betty, 
I do get tired of society as a single interest. But what else is 
there for me to do? Go into settlement work? I'd be a joke 
at that ! Learn to design jewelry ? Take singing lessons ?" 

"Try the good old profession of matrimony. Why are you 
so fickle, Alice, my dear?" 

"I'm not ; it's the men ! Every sensible one I meet is — well, 
disagreeable to me !" 

"Meaning Harry Harrison? He appears to be taking quite 
an interest, at least !" 

"That is merely his reforming instinct coming to the surface. 
But — is everything ready now? We'll sing a few bars of the 
Star Spangled Banner, and I'm sure the men will come imme- 
diately !" 

The lunch table was set with : 



Lobster and Salmon Salad 

Ham Sandwiches Nut Bread Sandwiches 

Pickles Radishes 

Potato Chips Devilled Eggs 

Moist Chocolate Cake 

Bananas Oranges 

Torpedo Candies 

Lemonade 



38 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Lobster and Salmon Salad (Four portions) 

I C-salmon 6 sweet pickles cut fine 

y 2 C-lobster 3 hard-cooked eggs, sliced 

I C-diced cucumber or celery 1 t-salt 
]/2 .C-salad dressing 

Mix the ingredients in the order given. Use a silver fork 
for mixing. Garnish with lettuce leaves. 

Ham Sandwiches (Four portions) 

y 2 C-chopped ham 1 T-chopped olives 

2 T-pickles 3 T-salad dressing 

12 slices bread 

Mix ham, olives and pickles with salad dressing and spread 
on lettuce or nasturtium leaves between buttered slices of bread. 
Trim off the crusts, and cut the sandwiches in fancy shapes. 

Devilled Eggs (Six eggs) 

6 hard-cooked eggs 1 t-melted butter 
1 t-vinegar %. t-chopped parsley 

% t-mustard % t-salt 

Shell the eggs, cut lengthwise in half, remove yolks, mash 
them and add vinegar, mustard, melted butter, parsley and salt. 
Refill the whites and put pairs together. Wrap in tissue paper 
with frilled edges to represent torpedoes. 

Moist Chocolate Cake (Ten portions) 

1/3 C-butter 1 C-flour 

1 C-sugar 1% t-baking powder 

2 eggs J /t t-cinnamon 
y 2 C-hot mashed potatoes Y\ t-clove 

1 ounce melted chocolate Yt. t-nutmeg 
% C-milk 1 t-vanilla 

Cream the butter, add the sugar. Mix well. Add the egg 
yolks, slightly beaten, and the potato. Stir, add the chocolate, 
milk and then all the dry ingredients which have been mixed 
and sifted together. Fold in the white of the eggs Deaten 
stiffly. Add the vanilla. Pour into two layer-cake pans which 
have been prepared with waxed paper. Bake in a moderate 
oven for thirty minutes. Ice with white mountain cream icing. 



CHAPTER IX 
UNCLE JOHN AND AUNT LUCY MAKE A VISIT 

UNCLE JOHN and Aunt Lucy had driven Bob and 
Bettina home from a Sunday spent in the country. 

"Do come in," begged Bettina, "and have a little lunch with 
us. After such a bountiful dinner, we really ought not to be 
hungry, but I confess that the lovely drive home has given me 
an appetite. And you've never been here for a meal! Don't 
be frightened, Uncle John, I really thought of this yesterday, 
and my cupboard isn't entirely bare. It would be so much 
fun to show you our things and the house !" 

"I'm not afraid I won't be fed well," said Uncle John, "but 
those clouds are black in the east. If it should rain we'd have 
trouble getting home. Besides, I don't like to have the car 
standing out in a storm." 

"I don't believe it'll rain, John," said comfortable Aunt Lucy. 
"And if it does, well, we'll manage somehow. I, for one, 
would like to see Bettina's kitchen — and all the rest of her 
house," she added. 

Bettina arranged the dainty little meal on the porch table, 
and Aunt Lucy and Uncle John sat down with good appetites. 

"This looks almost too pretty to eat," said he as he looked 
at his plate with its slice of jellied beef on head lettuce, served 
with salad dressing, and its fresh crisp potato chips. And the 
nasturtium and green leaf lay beside them. 

"Have a radish and a sandwich, Uncle John," said Bettina. 
"We have plenty, if not variety. Our only dessert is fresh 
pears." 

"But it all tastes mighty good !" said Uncle John. "Say, Bob, 
it is beginning to rain, I believe !" 

39 



40 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Sure enough, a regular storm! We must put the car in 
the empty garage across the street. I'm sure we can get per- 
mission." And he and Uncle John hurried out. 

"It will blow over, I'm sure," said Aunt Lucy. 

"But if it doesn't — why, Aunt Lucy, stay here all night! 
We'd love to have you ! The guest room is always ready. I 
know you'll be comfortable, and they can manage without you 
at home for once, I'm sure." 

"Of course they'll be all right, and it would be quite exciting 
to be 'company' for a change. If only Uncle John thinks he 
can do it !" 

"It looks as if there'll be nothing else to do," said Uncle 
John, when he and Bob returned. "Not but what I'd enjoy 
it — but I haven't been away from home a night for — how long 
is it, Lucy ?" 

"Seven years last May, John. All the more reason why 
this'll do you good." 

"Oh, I'm so glad you'll really stay !" said Bettina. "Now 
tell me what you like for breakfast!" 

"Anything you have except those new fashioned breakfast 
foods," Uncle John replied. "I might feed 'em to my stock, 
now, but not to a human being. But don't you worry about 
me, Betty ! Because I don't worry about the breakfast propo- 
sition. Bob here is a pretty good advertisement of the kind of 
cooking you can do !" 

The lunch that night consisted of : 

Jellied Beef Potato Chips 

Radishes 

Peanut Butter Sandwiches 

Iced Tea Fresh Pears 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Jellied Beef (Four portions) 

I C-cold chopped cooked beef I T-chopped parsley 

y 2 T-chopped onion I T-lemon juice 

i T-chopped pimento 2 t-granulated gelatin 

y 2 t-salt 1 T-cold water 

34 t-pepper V2 C-boiling water 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 41 

Soak the gelatin in one tablespoon cold water for three min- 
utes. Add the boiling water and dissolve thoroughly. Add 
the meat, onion, pimento, salt, pepper, lemon juice and pars- 
ley. Stir well together and turn into a mould that has been 
moistened with cold water. (A square or rectangular mould 
is preferable.) Stand in a cold place for two hours. When 
cold and firm, unmould on lettuce leaves and cut into slices. 
Salad dressing may be served with it. 

Radishes (Four portions) 

12 radishes i C-chopped ice 

Wash the radishes thoroughly with a vegetable brush. Cut 
off the long roots and all but one inch of green tops. These 
tops make the radishes easier to handle and more attractive. 
Serve in a bowl of chopped ice. 

Peanut Butter Sandwiches (Twelve sandwiches) 

4 T-peanut butter I T-salad dressing 

Y% t-salt 12 slices of bread 

I t-butter 12 uniform pieces of lettuce 

Cream the peanut butter, add the butter. Cream again, add 
the salt and salad dressing, mixing well. Cut the bread evenly. 
Butter one side of the bread very thinly with the peanut 
butter mixture. Place the lettuce leaf on one slice and place 
another slice upon it, buttered side down. Press firmly and 
neatly together. Cut in two crosswise. Arrange attractively 
in a wicker basket. 



CHAPTER X 
RUTH INSPECTS BETTINA'S KITCHEN 

**1\ /fAY I come in?" said a voice at the screen door. "I 

-••▼X came the kitchen way because I hoped that you would 
still be busy with the morning's work, and I might learn some- 
thing. You see" (and Ruth blushed a little), "we are thinking 
of building a house and we have lots of ideas about every room 
but the kitchen. Neither Fred nor I know the first thing about 
that, so I told him that I would just have to consult you." 

"How dear of you, Ruth !" said Bettina, as she put away the 
breakfast dishes. "Well, you shall have the benefit of every- 
thing that I know. Bob and I began with the kitchen when we 
planned this little house. It seemed so important. I expected 
to spend a great deal of time here, and I was determined to 
have it cheerful and convenient. I never could see why a 
kitchen should not be a perfectly beautiful room, as beautiful 
as any in the whole house !" 

"Yours is, Bettina," said Ruth, warmly, as she looked 
around her. "No wonder you can cook such fascinating little 
meals. It is light, and sunny and clean looking — oh, immacu- 
late ! — and has such a pleasant view !" 

"I wanted it to have lots of sunshine. We had the walls 
painted this shade of yellow, because it seemed pretty and 
cheerful. Perhaps you won't care to have white woodwork 
like this, but you see it is plain and I don't find it hard to keep 
clean out here on the edge of town ! I think it is so pretty 
that I don't expect to regret my choice. Another thing, Ruth, 
do get a good grade of inlaid linoleum like this. I know the 
initial expense is greater, but a good piece will last a long time, 
and will always look well." 

42 



With Bettina s Best Recipes 43 

"How high the sink is, Bettina !" 

'Thirty-six inches. You see, I'm not very tall and yet I 
have always found that every other sink I tried was too low 
for solid comfort. The plumbers have a way of making them 
all alike — thirty-two inches from the floor, I think. They 
were scandalized because I asked them to change the regula- 
tion height, and yet, I find this exactly right. And isn't it a 
lovely white enameled one ? I am happy whenever I look at it ! 
Don't laugh, Ruth ; a sink is a very important piece of furni- 
ture ! I had alw T ays liked this kind with the grooved drain- 
board on each side, sloping just a little toward the center. And 
see how easily I can reach up and put away the dishes in the 
cupboard, you see. I don't like a single dish or utensil in sight 
when the kitchen is in order. This roll of paper toweling here 
by the sink is very convenient for wiping off the table or tak- 
ing grease off pans and dishes or even for drying glass and 
silver. A roll lasts a long time, and certainly does save dish- 
cloths and towels. 

"Do you use your fireless cooker often ?" 

"Every day of the year — I do believe. I cook breakfast 
food in it, and all kinds of meats except those that are boiled 
or fried. Then it is splendid for steaming brown bread and 
baking beans, and oh, so many other things! Mother keeps 
hers under the kitchen table, but I find it more convenient here 
at the right of the stove — on a box just level with the stove. 
Next, O Neophyte, you may observe the stove. The oven is 
at the side, high up so that one need not stoop to use it. It has 
a glass oven door through which 1 can watch my baking." 

"I like this white enameled table. And the high stool must 
be convenient, too." 

"It is splendid. Ruth, haven't you an old marble topped 
table at home ? It would be just the thing for pastry making." 

"Yes, I do know of one, I think, and I'll have the lower part 
enameled white." 

"Fred can do it himself. Let him help to fix things up, and 
he'll be all the more interested in them, and in helping you use 
them." 

"Bettina, this is an adorable breakfast alcove! What fun 



44 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

you must have every morning! If we have one, I don't believe 
we'll ever use the dining room. How convenient ! Here come 
the waffles — hot from the stove ! Fred, do have a hot muffin !" 

"Not at the same meal, Ruth !" 

"No, he'll be fortunate if he gets anything to eat at all ! He 
isn't marrying a Bettina. But he says he's satisfied. Bettina, 
does Bob help get breakfast?" 

"Indeed he does. He loves to make coffee in the electric 
percolator and toast on the toaster. He says that an electric 
toaster and plenty of bath towels are the real necessities of 
life, but I say I cannot live without flowers and a fireplace. 
Oh, you will have such fun, Ruth ! Let Fred help you all he 
will." 

"I'm hearing all this advice !" suddenly shouted a big voice 
in her ear. "Look here, Mrs. Bettina, does Bob know that 
you are advising your friends to train their husbands just as 
you are training him?" 

"Fred, you old eavesdropper! I hope that Ruth makes you 
get breakfast every single morning to pay for this ! Aren't 
you ashamed? Don't you know that listeners never hear any 
good of themselves?" 

"I suppose Fred knew he needn't worry," said rosy Ruth, as 
she took his arm. "Look, Fred, isn't it a dear little house? 
May he see it all, Bettina?" 

"Yes, if he'll explain how a busy man can get away at this 
hour of the morning." 

"Well, you see I was on my way to the office when I caught 
a glimpse of Ruth's pink dress at your back door. I hap* 
pened to think that she said she didn't get a recipe for those 
"skyrocket rolls" that you had at your party the other day. 1 
just thought I'd have to remind her, for the sake of my future." 

"What under the shining sun ! Oh, pinwheel biscuits !" 

"Yes— that's it!" 

"Why — all right. I have it filed away in my card-index. 
Here — with a picture of them pasted on the card. I cut it 
out of the magazine that gave the recipe. They are delicious." 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 45 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Pinwheel Biscuits (Fifteen biscuits) 

2 C-flour Y A C-milk 

4 t-baking powder 1/3 C-stoned raisins 

3 T-lard 2 T-sugar 

y 2 t-salt 2 T-melted butter 

J / 2 t-cinnamon 

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, work in the 
lard with a knife, add gradually the milk, mixing with the 
knife to a soft dough. Toss on a floured board, roll one inch 
thick, spread with butter, and sprinkle with the sugar and 
cinnamon, which have been well mixed. Press in the raisins. 
Roll up the mixture evenly as you would a jelly roll. Cut off 
slices, an inch thick — flatten a little and place in a tin pan. 
Bake in a hot oven for fifteen minutes. (These are similar to 
the cinnamon rolls made from yeast sponge.) 



CHAPTER XI 

BETTINA'S BIRTHDAY GIFT 

ftVT'OUR set, Bob," said Bettina, as she gathered up the 
*■■ tennis balls. "But please say you think I'm improv- 
ing! Oh, there'll come a time when I'll make you a stiff 
opponent, but I'll have to work up my service first ! It's time 
to go home to breakfast now, but hasn't it been fun?" 

"Fine, Betty ! We'll do it again ! I don't object at all to 
getting up early when I'm once up ! And we ought to get out 
and play tennis before breakfast every day." 

"I knew you'd like it when you'd tried it once. But it took 
my birthday to make you willing to celebrate this way." 

"Just you wait till you see what I have for you at home ! I 
made it all myself, with a little help from Ruth !" 

"Oh, Bob, is that what you've been doing all these even- 
ings ? I'm so anxious to see it ! I've begrudged the time you've 
spent all alone hammering and sawing away down in the base- 
ment, but I didn't let myself even wonder what it was you were 
making, since you had asked me not to look." 

"Well, while you're beginning the breakfast, I'll be bringing 
your birthday gift upstairs. Then I can help you." 

In a short time, when Bettina was arranging the cheerful 
hollyhocks on the table, she heard a low whistle behind her. 
There stood Bob — looking like a sandwich-man, with a brightly 
flowered cretonne screen draped about him. 

"Well, how do you like it?" 

"Oh, Bob, it's the sewing-screen I've been wanting, and it 
just matches the cretonne bedroom hangings ! Here are the 
little pockets for mending and darning materials — and the 

46 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 47 

larger ones for the unfinished work! How beautifully it is 
made — and won't it be convenient! It will be useful as a 
screen, and also as a place for those sewing things, for I have 
no good place at all in which to keep them ! It will be decora- 
tive, too ! And how light it is ! I can carry it so easily, and 
work beside it on the porch or in the living room !" 

"Glad you like it ! Ruth designed it, and made the pockets. 
I did the carpenter work." 

"Bob, it's a lovely birthday gift, and I appreciate it all the 
more because you made it yourself. How pretty it is with all 
the woodwork enameled white!" 

"I wanted it to match the bedroom things. Well, is that 
coffee done yet ? Tennis certanly does give me an appetite !" 

Breakfast consisted of : 

Iced Cantelope 

Poached Eggs on Toast 

Toast Apple Sauce 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Poached .Eggs (Two portions) 

2 eggs i t-salt 

I t-butter i pt. water, boiling 

Butter the bottom of a saucepan or frying-pan. Fill half 
full of boiling water. Break the eggs one at a time in a sauce 
dish, and slip them very gently into the pan of boiling water. 
The eggs will lower the temperature of the water to a point 
below the boiling point. Keep the water at this point (below 
boiling). Allow the eggs to remain in the water four to six 
minutes, or until the desired consistency. Remove from the 
water with a skimmer and serve on slices of toast which are 
hot, buttered, and slightly moistened with water. The proper 
length of time for poaching eggs is until a white* film has 
formed over the yolks and the white is firm. A tin or alum- 
inum egg poacher is very convenient. When using rings, but- 
ter the rings, fill each compartment with an egg, and dip into 
the boiling water. These are inexpensive, and economical, as 
no part of the egg is wasted. 



48 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Toast (Four Pieces) 

4 slices bread 2 T-butter 

Toast slices of bread one-half an inch thick on the broiler 
directly under the flame, or on a toaster fitted for a burner on 
top of the stove. Brown on one side, then turn and brown on 
the other. When both sides are an even golden brown, butter 
one side, care being taken to butter the edges. Set the toast 
on an enamel plate or tin pie-pan in the oven, until all the 
pieces are ready for serving. Always serve toast very hot. 

Apple Sauce (Two portions) 

4 apples 4 T-sugar 

1/3 C-water J4 t-cinnamon 

Wash, peel and core the apples. Add water and cook slowly 
in a covered utensil until tender. Remove cover, add the sugar 
and cook two minutes. Sprinkle cinnamon on the top. 



CHAPTER XII 
BETTINA'S FATHER TRIES HER COOKING 

f* QO she is about to try her cooking on me, is she?" said 

^ Bettina's father to Bob, as he sat down at the table. 
"Well, I'll admit that I have looked forward to this all day. 
But there was a time when I was a little more skeptical of Bet- 
tina's culinary skill. You know, when mother was in Califor- 
nia two years ago last winter " 

"Now, Charlie, you know that all girls have to learn at some 
time or other," interrupted Bettina's mother. "And I believe 
that Bob has fared pretty well, considering that Bettina is just 
beginning to keep house " 

"I should say so !" said Bob, heartily. "Why, I'm getting 
fat! I was weighed to-day, and " 

"Don't say any more, Bob ! We'll rent the house and take 
to boarding! If you get fat " 

"No boarding-houses for mine ! Not after your cooking, 
Bettina ! I had enough of boarding before I was married. 
Say — how long ago that does seem." 

"Has the time dragged as much as that? Well, I'll change 
the subject. Dad, how do you like my Japanese garden? I 
think it's pretty, don't you ?" 

"I certainly do, my dear. What are those feathery things ?" 

"Why, don't you know that, Father? And when you were 
a boy, you worked on a farm one summer, too ! There's a 
parsnip and a horse radish, and a beet. Then there are a few 
parsley seeds and grass seeds on a tiny sponge ! And see the 
little shells and stones that Bob and I collected for it." 

"Yes, we found that pink stone up the river on a picnic a 

49 



50 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

year ago last May, before we were engaged, or were we en- 
gaged then, Bettina? And the purple one " 

"Oh, you needn't reminisce," Bettina interrupted hastily. 
"Eat your dinner." 

"Every little stone 
Has a meaning all its own, 

Every little shell 

But it wouldn't do to tell." 



"I composed that poem just this minute," said Bob, undis- 
turbed. 

"Will you help me get the dessert now, Robert? Are you 
ready, Mother? And Father?" 

"Yes, indeed. A very fine dinner, Bettina. We never have 
steak fixed this way at home ; do we, Mother ? Can we try it 
some day soon ?" 

"I have something for dessert that you like, Dad. Guess 
what !" 

"What is it ? Oh, lemon pie ! That is fine, I can tell you ! 
But I know already that it won't be as good as your mother's ! 
Still, we'll try it and see !" 

That evening for dinner, Bettina served : 

Devilled Steak New Potatoes in Cream 

Baking-powder Biscuits Jelly 

Cucumber and Radish Salad 

Lemon Pie 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Devilled Steak (Four portions) 

2 T-butter X A t-pepper 

I T-onion % t-paprika 

iy 2 lb. flank steak V A inch thick I t-mustard 

2 T-flour i T-vinegar 

I t-salt i T-flour 
2 C-water 

Melt the butter in a frying-pan, slice the onion in it and saute 
gently until golden brown in color. Remove the onion from 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 51 

the butter, cut the flank steak into pieces three by two inches. 
Dredge these lightly in one tablespoon flour and saute in the 
butter until well browned. Remove the meat from the drying- 
pan ; add the salt, pepper, paprika, mustard, vinegar and flour. 
Mix all together and add the water slowly. Replace the steak 
in the pan, cover closely and simmer one hour, or until the 
steak is tender. Serve on a warm platter and pour the gravy 
over it. 

Baking Powder Biscuit (Fifteen biscuits) 

2 C-flour % t-salt 

4 t-baking powder 3 T-lard 

2/2, C-milk 

Mix and sift the flour, baking powder and salt; cut in the 
lard with a knife until the consistency of cornmeal. Add the 
milk, mixing with a knife. Pat into a rectangular shape, one- 
half inch thick, on a floured board. Cut with a biscuit cutter 
one and one-half inches in diameter. Place side by side in a 
tin pan. Bake in a moderate oven fifteen minutes. 

Cucumber and Radish Salad (Four portions) 

1 C-diced cucumbers 1 t-salt 

y 2 C-diced radishes % t-pepper 

2 t-chopped onion 4 T-salad dressing 

4 lettuce leaves 

Mix the cucumbers, radishes, onions, salt and pepper. Add 
salad dressing. Serve on lettuce leaves. 

Lemon Pie 

Filling 2 eggs (yolks) 

1 C-sugar i r / 2 C-water 

y 2 t-salt 1 t-grated rind 

juice 1 large lemon y 2 C-flour 
I t-butter 

Beat. the tgg yolks, add the sugar gradually and beat; add 
the flour, salt, water, lemon juice and rind. Cook in a double 
boiler until it thickens. Pour into the pastry shell, cover with 
meringue and bake in a moderate oven until the meringue is 
brown. 



52 A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband 

Pie Crust 

I C-flour % t-salt 

1/3 C-fat 2 T-cold water 

Cut the fat into the flour and salt with a knife. Add the 
water gradually, lifting with a knife that portion that was 
moistened first and pushing it to one side of the bowl, wet an- 
other portion and continue until all is moistened, using just 
enough water to hold together. Put together and place on a 
floured board. Roll the crust to fit the pan. Press the crust 
firmly into the bottom of the pan. Prick the sides and bottom 
with a fork. Crinkle the edges of the crust ; have the crust ex- 
tend above the edge of the pan to make a deep shell for the 
filling. Bake the crust first to make it more crisp. Do not 
butter the pan. Bake from five to six minutes in a hot oven. 
When the crust is done, add the filling and cover this with 
the meringue. 

Meringue 

2 egg whites beaten stiff 5 T-sugar (powdered preferred) 

Yz t-lemon extract 

Do not beat the egg-whites until ready for use. Then beat 
until stiff and add the sugar, beating only a minute. Pile the 
meringue lightly on top of the filling, and bake the whole 
slowly. If baked too quickly, the meringue will rise and then 
fall. Bake only until it turns a golden brown. 



CHAPTER XIII 
BOB HELPS WITH THE DINNER 

^TT ERE. Bettina, let me mash those potatoes! It's fine 

*■ -■- exercise after a day at the office !" And Bob seized 
the potato masher with the same vigor that he used to handle 
a tennis racquet. 

"Good for you, Bob ! They can't have a single lump in them 
after that ! About the most unappetizing thing I can think of 
is lumpy mashed potato, or mashed potato that is heavy and 
unseasoned. More milk ? You'd better use plenty. Here ! 
Now watch me toss them lightly into this hot dish and put a 
little parsley and a lump of butter on the top. There, doesn't 
that look delicious ?" 

"I should say so ! And look at the fancy tomatoes, each one 
with a cover ! What on earth is inside ?" 

"Just wait till you taste them ; they're a new invention of 
mine, and I do believe they'll make a splendid luncheon dish 
for the next time that Ruth is here, or Alice brings her sewing 
over. I'm practising on you first, you see, and if you survive 
and seem to like them, I may use them for a real company 
dish." 

"You can't frighten me that way ! Creamed chicken ?" 

"Creamed veal. Don't you remember what we had for din- 
ner last night? There were two chops left and I made it of 
them. I know it is good when made of cold veal roast, but I 
had never tried it with cold veal chops — so again I am experi- 
menting on you, Bobby !" 

"You don't frighten me so easily as that ! I've just caught 
a glimpse of something that looks like cocoanut cake, and I'll 
be happy now, no matter how the rest of the dinner tastes !" 

53 



54 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"There, everything is on, Bob ! Let's sit down to din- 
ner, and you tell me all about your day !" 
Dinner consisted of : 

Creamed Veal Mashed Potatoes 

Stuffed Tomatoes Bettina 

Bread Butter 

Sliced Peaches Cream 

Cocoanut Cake 

Iced Tea 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Creamed Veal (Two portions) 

I C-cooked veal chopped J / 2 C-white sauce (medium) 

3 rounds of toast 

Mix the veal and sauce. Heat and serve hot on rounds of 
toast. 

Mashed Potatoes (Two portions) 

4 potatoes ]/ 2 T-butter 
2 C-water x / 2 t-salt 
i t-salt Ya t-paprika 

i T-milk 

Wash and peel medium-sized potatoes ; cook in boiling water 
(salted) until tender. (About twenty minutes.) Drain and 
shake over the fire a minute or two until they are a little dry. 
Either mash with potato masher, or put through potato ricer. 
Add butter, salt, paprika and milk. Beat till very light, fluffy 
and white. Reheat by setting the saucepan in a larger kettle 
containing boiling water. Place over flame. More milk may 
be needed. Pile them lightly on the hot dish in which they 
are to be served. 

Stuffed Tomatoes Bettina (Two portions) 

2 firm, good-sized tomatoes 

3 T-fresh bread crumbs 

2 T-left-over cooked vegetables (peas, beans, celery or corn) 

I T-chopped cooked ham or cooked bacon 
Ys t-paprika 

i T-egg 

I t-melted butter 
y 2 t-salt 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 55 

Wash the tomatoes thoroughly and cut a slice one inch in 
diameter from the blossom end, reserving it for future use. 
Carefully scoop out the pulp, being careful to leave the shell 
firm. To the tomato pulp, add bread crumbs, left-over vege- 
tables, chopped meat, egg y melted butter, salt and paprika. 
Cook the mixture four minutes over the fire. Fill the shells 
with the cooked mixture. Put the slices back on the tomatoes. 
Place in a small pan and bake twenty minutes in a hot oven. 



CHAPTER XIV 

A SUNDAY EVENING TEA 

f$TT 7*HAT kind of tea is this?" Ruth inquired one Sunday 
» V evening on the porch. 

"Why, this is a mixture of green and black tea/' said Bet- 
tina. "I like that better for iced tea than either kind alone." 

"I like tea," said Fred, "although perhaps that isn't consid- 
ered a manly sentiment in this country. I hope you do too, 
Ruth. Nothing seems so cozy to me as tea and toast. And I 
like iced tea like this in the summertime. An uncle of mine is 
very fond of tea, and has offered to send me some that he con- 
siders particularly fine. I believe that Orange Pekoe is his 
favorite." 

"I think that has the best flavor of all," said Bettina, "though 
just now we are using an English breakfast tea that we like 
very much. And the green tea mixed with it for this is Japan 
tea." 

"Eve heard my uncle say that 'Pekoe' means 'white hair/ 
and is applied to young leaves because they are covered with a 
fine white down. Uncle also says that black teas are consid- 
ered more wholesome than green because they contain less tan- 
nin. I tell you, he's a regular connoisseur." 

"I see that I must become an expert tea-maker !" said Ruth. 
"I'm learning something new about Fred every day. Bettina, 
do tell me exactly how you make tea. Fred can listen, too, un- 
less he already knows." 

"Well, let's see, Ruth. I take a level teaspoonful of tea to a 
cup of water. I put the tea in a scalded earthenware tea-pot — 
that kind is better than metal — and pour boiling water over it 

56 



With Bettina s Best Recipes 57 

— fresh water. Then I cover it and allow it to steep from three 
to five minutes. Then I strain and serve it. You know tea 
should always be freshly made, and never warmed over. It 
shouldn't be boiled either, not a second. Boiling, or too long 
steeping, brings out the tannin.' , 

"But how about iced-tea ? That has to stand." 

"It shouldn't steep, though. I make it just like any tea and 
strain it. Then I let it cool, and set it on the ice for three or 
four hours. I serve it with chipped ice, lemon and mint." 

"Mother always added a cherry to her afternoon tea," said 
Ruth. 

"That would be great," said Bob. "I don't care much for 
hot tea, but I believe I would be willing to drink a cup for the 
sake of the cherry." 

"Ruth," said Bettina, "I know now what I will give you for 
an engagement present since Fred likes tea, too. A silver tea- 
ball. Surely that will symbolize comfort and fireside cheer." 

"Speaking of firesides," asked Bob, "what material have you 
decided upon for your fireplace? It seems to me that we're 
talking too much about tea-making, and not enough about 
house-building." 

That evening Bettina served : 

Salmon Salad with Jellied Vegetables 

Boston Brown Bread Sandwiches 

Sliced Fresh Peaches 

One Egg Cake Chocolate Icing 

Iced Tea 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Salmon Salad with Jellied Vegetables (Four portions) 

i C-cooked mixed diced vegetables (string 

beans, carrots, peas or celery) 
i C-meat stock or water (hot) 

2 t-granulated gelatin 
i t-salt 

I T-chopped pimento 

3 T-cold water 
I t-lemon juice 



58 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Cooked vegetables may be combined for this salad. Soak 
the gelatin in cold water a few minutes, add the meat stock 
or water and stir until the gelatin is thoroughly dissolved. If 
it is not completely dissolved, heat over a pan of hot water. 
Add the vegetables in such proportions as desired or con- 
venient. Add the salt, lemon juice and pimento ; turn the mix- 
ture into a moistened mould. (A ring mould is attractive.) 
Allow to stand for one hour or more in a cold place. When 
ready to serve, remove from mould to a chilled plate. If a 
ringed mould is used, the center may be filled with flaked sal- 
mon over which salad dressing has been poured. If the vege- 
table part is used as a salad, salad dressing may be placed 
around the vegetables. 

One Egg Cake (Ten portions) 



4 T-butter 


y 2 C-milk 


y 2 C-sugar 


i^ C-flour 


i egg 


2 x /> t-baking powder 




I t-vanilla 



Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and the egg well 
beaten. Mix and sift the flour and baking powder and add 
alternately with the milk. Add the vanilla. Bake in a loaf- 
cake pan twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven/ 

Chocolate Icing for Cake 

I square of chocolate, melted \ l / 2 powdered sugar 
3 T-boiling water y 2 t-vanilla 

Melt the chocolate, add a little powdered sugar, then water 
and flavoring and sufficient sugar to allow the icing to spread 
on cake. Usually one and one-half cups is the necessary 
amount. Spread on the cake. 



CHAPTER XV 
A MOTOR PICNIC 

**TLT ELLO, Bettina ; this is Bob. What are you having for 

-*- -*■ dinner to-night?" 

"It's all in the fireless cooker ! Why ?" 

"Couldn't you manage to make a picnic supper of it? One 
of the men at the office has invited us to go motoring to-night 
with him and his wife, and, of course, I said we'd be delighted. 
They're boarding, poor things, and I asked if we couldn't 
bring the supper. He seemed glad to have. me suggest it. I 
suppose he hasn't had any home cooking for months. Do you 
suppose you could manage the lunch ? How about it ?" 

"Why, let me think ! How soon must we start ?" 

"We'll be there in an hour or a little less. Don't bother about 
it — get anything you happen to have." 

"It's fine to go, dear. Of course, I'll be ready. Good-bye !" 

Bettina's brain was busy. There was a veal loaf baking in 
one compartment of the cooker, and on the other side, some 
Boston brown bread was steaming. Her potatoes were cooked 
already for creaming, and although old potatoes would have 
been better for the purpose, she might make a salad of thenr? 
As she hastily put on some eggs to hard-cook, she inspected her 
ice box. Yes, those cold green beans, left from last night's 
dinner, would be good in the salad. What else? "It needs 
something to give it character," she reflected. "A little canned 
pimento — and, yes — a few of the pickles in that jar." 

Of course, she had salad dressing — she was never without 
it. Sandwiches? The brown bread would be too fresh and 
soft for sandwiches, but she could keep it hot, and take some 

59 



60 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

butter along. "I'm glad it is cool to-day. We'll need hot 
coffee in the thermos bottle, and I can make it a warm supper — 
except for the salad." 

She took the veal loaf and the steamed brown bread from 
the cooker, and put them into the oven to finish cooking. 

"How lucky it is that I made those Spanish buns ! And the 
bananas that were to have been sliced for dessert, I can just 
take along whole." 

When Bettina heard the auto horn, and then Bob's voice, she 
was putting on her hat. 

"Well, Betty, could you manage it ?" 

"Yes, indeed, dear. Everything is ready. The thermos bot- 
tle has coffee in it, piping hot ; the lunch basket over there is 
packed with the warm things wrapped tight, and that pail with 
the burlap over it is a temporary ice box. It holds a piece of 
ice, and beside it is the cream for the coffee and the potato 
salad. It is cool to-day, but I thought it best to pack them that 
way." 

"You are the best little housekeeper in this town," said Bob 
as he kissed her. "I don't believe anyone else could have man- 
aged a picnic supper on such short notice. Come on out and 
meet Mr. and Mrs. Dixon. May I tell them that they have a 
fine spread coming?" 

"Don't you dare, sir. It's a very ordinary kind of a sup- 
per, and even you are apt to be disappointed." 

But he wasn't. 

Bettina's picnic supper that cool day consisted of : 

Warm Veal Loaf Cold Potato Salad 

Fresh Brown Bread Butter 

Spanish Buns Bananas 

Hot Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Veal Loaf (Six to eight portions) 

2 lbs. lean veal 4 t-onion salt 
y 2 lb. salt pork 1 T-salt 

6 large crackers l A t-pepper 

2 T-lemon juice 4 T-cream 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 61 

Put two crackers in the meat grinder, add bits of meat and 
pork and the rest of the crackers. The crackers first and last 
prevent the pork and meat from sticking to the grinder. Pack 
in a well-buttered bread-pan. Smooth evenly on top, brush 
with white of an egg and bake one hour in a moderate oven. 
Baste frequently. The meat may be cooked in a fireless cooker 
between two stones. It is perfectly satisfactory cooked this 
way, and requires no basting. 

Boston Brown Bread (Six portions) 

I C-rye or graham flour % C-molasses 

I C-cornmeal % C-sugar 

i C-white flour i T / 2 C-sour milk or i 1 /^ C-sweet 

I t-salt milk or water 

i t-soda 2/3 C-raisins 

Mix and sift dry ingredients, add molasses and liquid. Fill 
well-buttered moulds two-thirds full, butter the top of mould, 
and steam three and one-half hours. Remove from moulds 
and place in an oven to dry ten minutes before serving. 1 — If 
sweet milk is used, 1 T-vinegar to 1^ C will sour the milk. 
2 — Baking powder cans, melon moulds, lard pails or any at- 
tractively shaped tin cans may be used as a mould. 3 — Two 
methods of steaming are used: (a) Regular steamer in which 
the mould, either large or individual, is placed over a pan of 
boiling water. Buttered papers may be tied firmly over the 
tops of uncovered moulds, (b) Steaming in boiling water. 
The mould is placed on a small article in the bottom of a pan 
of boiling water. This enables the water to circulate around 
the mould. Care must be* observed in keeping the kettle two- 
thirds full of boiling water all of the time of cooking. (Bet- 
tina used the method in the fireless cooker.) She started 
the brown bread in the cooker utensil on the top of the stove. 
When the water was boiling vigorously, she placed it over one 
hot stone in the cooker. The water came two-thirds of the dis- 
tance to the top of her cans. In the cooker, she did not have to 
watch for fear the water would boil away. After fastening 
the lid tightly on the cooker-kettle in which the bread was to 
steam, she did not look at it again for four hours. (It takes 
a little longer in the cooker than on the stove.) 



CHAPTER XVI 
BETTINA HAS A CALLER 

THE next morning Bettina was alone in her little kitchen 
when the door bell rang. 

"Why, Mrs. Dixon ; how do you do ?" she said, as she 
opened the door and recognized the visitor. "Won't you come 
in?" 

It must be admitted that Bettina was somewhat embarrassed 
at the unexpected call at so unconventional a time. Mrs. Dixon 
was dressed in a trim street costume, but under her veil Bet- 
tina could see that her eyes were red, and her lips quivered as 
she answered : 

"Forgive me for coming so early, but I just had to. I know 
you'll think me silly to talk to you confidentially when I met 
you only yesterday, but I do want your advice about some- 
thing. You mustn't stop what you are doing. Couldn't I come 
into the kitchen and talk while you work?" 

"Why, my dear, of course you can," said Bettina, trying to 
put her at her ease. "You can't guess what I was doing! I 
was washing my pongee dress; someone told me of such a 
good way !" 

"Why, could you do it all yourself ?" said Mrs. Dixon, open- 
ing her eyes wide. "Why not send it to be dry-cleaned ?" 

"Of course I might," said Bettina, "but it would be expen- 
sive, and I do like to save a little money every month from 
my housekeeping allowance. There are always so many things 
I want to get. You see I'm doing this in luke-warm, soapy 
water — throwing the soap-suds up over the goods, then Til 
rinse it well, and hang it in the shade to drip until it gets dry. 

62 



With Bettina s Best Recipes 63 

I won't press it till it is fully dry, because if I do, it will be 
spotted." 

"How do you learn things like that?" 

"Oh, since I've been married, and even before, when I 
thought about keeping house, I began to pick up all sorts of 
good ideas. I like economizing; it gives me an opportunity 
to use all the ingenuity I have." 

"Does it? I always thought it would be awfully tiresome. 
You see, I've lived in a hotel all my life ; my mother never 
was strong, and I was the only child. I liked it, and since I've 
been married, we've lived the same way. I never thought of 
anything else and I supposed Frank would like it, too — but 
lately — oh, all the last year — he's been begging me to let him 
find us a house. And then" — (Bettina saw that her eyes had 
filled with tears) — "he has been so different. You have no idea, 
my dear. Why — he hasn't been at home with me two even- 
ings a week — and " 

"You must be dreadfully unhappy," interrupted Bettina, 
wondering what she could say, since she disliked particularly 
to listen to any account of domestic difficulties. "But why not 
try keeping house? Maybe that would be better. Why, Bob 
doesn't like to be away from home any evenings at all." 

"But you've just been married !" said Mrs. Dixon, tactlessly. 
"Wait and see how he'll be after a few years !" 

"Well, that's all the more reason for trying to make him like 
his home. Have you thought of taking a house?" 

"That was just the reason I came to you. You seem to be 
so happy living this way — and it surprised me. I knew last 
evening what Frank was thinking when he saw this little house 
— and then when you unpacked the lunch — tell me honestly, 
did you cook it yourself?" 

"Of course," said Bettina, smiling. 

"Wasn't it hard to learn ? Why, I can't cook a thing — I can't 
even make coffee ! Frank says if he could only have one break- 
fast that was fit to eat " and she buried her face in her 

handkerchief. 

"Why, Mrs. Dixon!" cried Bettina, cheerfully, though her 
heart was beating furiously. "Your trouble is the easiest one 



64 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

in the world to remedy ! Your husband is just hungry — that's 
all ! I'll tell you — we'll make this a little secret between us, and 
have such fun over it ! You do just as I tell you for one 
month and I'll guarantee that Frank will be at home every sin- 
gle minute that he can !" 

"Do you suppose I can learn?" 

"I'll show you every single thing. We'll slip out this very 
day and look for a little house — to surprise Frank ! And I'll 
teach you to cook by easy stages !" 

"Oh, will you?" smiled Mrs. Dixon, showing an adorable 
dimple in her round cheek. "You don't know how much bet- 
ter I feel already ! When can we begin ?" 

"Right now — with coffee — real, sure 'nough coffee that will 
make Frank's eyes stick out ! Have you a percolator ?" 

"No, but I can get one." 

"It isn't necessary at all. I'll tell you how to do without it, 
and then using one will be perfectly simple." 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Coffee (Four cups) 

7 T-coffee y 2 T-egg white 

3 T-cold water 4^ C-boiling water 

Scald the coffee pot, add the coffee, cold water and egg- 
white. Mix thoroughly, add the boiling water. Boil two min- 
utes. Allow to stand in the pot one minute. Serve. 

Twin Mountain Muffins 

2 C-flour 1 egg 

4 t-baking powder 1 C-milk 

Y A t-salt 1 T-melted butter 

*4 C-sugar 

Mix and sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and 
sugar. Beat the egg, add the milk ; add these liquid ingredi- 
ents to the dry ones. Beat two minutes. Add the melted 
butter. Fill well buttered muffin pans one-half full. Bake in 
a moderate oven twenty minutes. 



CHAPTER XVII 
BOB GETS BREAKFAST ON SUNDAY 

f f 'VTOW, Bettina, you sit here and direct me, but don't you 

-*• ^ you dare to move. I'm going to get breakfast my- 
self." 

"Fine for you, chef ! Have it on the porch, will you ? It's 
the most beautiful morning of the year, I do believe! But 
you must give me something to do. Let me set the table, will 
you ?" 

"Well, you can do that, but get me an apron first. Be sure 
you get one that'll be becoming!" 

Bettina went to a deep drawer in the pantry, of which the 
breakfast alcove was a part, and selected a white bungalow 
apron with red dots. 

"Here, put your arms through this ! There, how 'chic' you 
look ! Bob, do you realize that this is our first breakfast on 
the porch ? I must get some of those feathery things growing 
out there ; I want them for the table. We must celebrate !" 

"If having flowers on the table is celebrating, you celebrate 
every day !" 

"Of course, my dear! Our married life is just one long 
celebration. Haven't you discovered that yet?" 

Bettina had thus far no flower garden, but she was never 
without flowers. The weeds and grasses in her backyard had 
a way of turning themselves into charming centerpieces, and 
then, too, red clover was always plentiful. 

Bob moved the coffee percolator and the electric toaster to 
the porch and attached them while Bettina spread the luncheon 
cloth upon the small table. "Aren't you glad we thought to 

65 



66 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

plan it so that we might have the percolator and the toaster 
out here?" she said. "That was your idea, wasn't it?" 

"Aren't you glad you married me?" said Bob enthusiasti- 
cally. "I'll bet I'm the only man on this street who can frizzle 
dried beef and cream it ! And make coffee !" 

"Who taught you that, I'd like to know? Give some credit 
to your wife who forces you to do it ! Here, Bridget ! The 
grapefruit is in the ice box; did you see it? And the oatmeal 
in the cooker is waiting to be reheated. Set it in a kettle of 
water over the fire, so that it won't burn. There are rolls in 
the bread-box. Put them in the oven a minute to warm up. 
If they seem dry, dip them quickly in water before heating 
them. Now shall I be making some toast-rounds for the chip- 
ped beef ?" 

"Well, you might be doing that. I'm getting dizzy with all 
these orders, ma'am. You can hunt up the cream and the milk 
and the butter, too, if you will. Now for the beef ! Say, but 
this is going to be a good breakfast ! 'Befoh de wah' I used 
to sleep late on Sundays, but not any more for me ! I like to 
cook !" 

"There's someone at the door. I'll go ; you're busier than I 
am. 

There on the doorstep beside the Sunday paper stood a little 
four-year-old neighbor, her hands full of old-fashioned pinks. 

"My mother sent these to you," she said. 

"Oh, lovely, dear ! Thank you ! Won't you come in ?" 

"No'm ! My daddy has to shine my shoes for Sunday 
school." 

"Bob, aren't these pretty with the white feathery weeds? I 
do love flowers I" 

"They don't look half so pretty as this 'ere frizzled beef 
does ! Breakfast is all ready !" 

Bettina sat down to an open-air breakfast of 





Grapefruit 






Oatmeal 






Cream 


Creamed Beef 




Toast Rounds 


Rolls 




Butter 





Coffee 



With Bettina s Best Recipes 67 

After a jolly and leisurely meal, Bob announced that he was 
ready to wash the dishes. 

"Ever since I've seen that nice white-lined dishpan of yours, 
I've wanted to try it. It's oval, and I never saw an oval one 
before." 

"I like it because it fits into the sink so well, and fills all the 
space it can." 

"See how efficient I am! I put on the water for the dishes 
when we sat down to eat ! Now I'll have nice hot, soapy 
water, and lots of it, to rinse them !" 

"But don't rinse the glasses, dear. See how I can polish 
glass and silver that has just come out of that clean soapy 
water ! Look ! Isn't that shiny and pretty ? There, you can 
scald everything else !" 

"There's the telephone! It's Mrs. Dixon! What on earth 
can she want ? She asked for you !" 

Bettina talked for a few moments in monosyllables and then 
returned to the dishes. "What did she have to say?" Bob 
asked. 

"She asked me not to tell you, Bob. Nothing much. Per- 
haps you'll know some day." 

Bob looked puzzled and slightly hurt. It was the first time 
that Bettina had kept anything from him and he could not help 
showing some displeasure. 

Bettina saw this, and said : "Bob, I don't want to have any 
secret from you, and I'd like you to know that this is nothing 
that I wouldn't tell you gladly if I were the only one con- 
cerned. I promised, that's all. You'll smile when you know 
all about it." 

And Bob was mollified. 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Oatmeal (Four portions) 

94 C-rolled oats 2 C-hot water 
y 2 t-salt 

Put the hot water in the upper part of the double boiler, 



68 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

When boiling, add salt and oats. Boil the mixture for three 
minutes. Cover and place the upper part in the lower part of 
the double boiler. Cook over a moderate fire for one hour. 
Stir occasionally. 

Creamed Beef (Four portions) 

% lb. diced beef thinly sliced 2 T-flour 
2 T-butter I C-milk 

Place the butter in a frying-pan, and when the pan is hot 
and the butter is melted, add the beef separated into small 
pieces. Allow it to frizzle. Add the flour, mix thoroughly 
with beef and butter, allowing the flour to brown a little. Add 
the milk slowly, cooking until thick and smooth. Pour over 
rounds of toast. Garnish with parsley. 






CHAPTER XVIII 

BETTINA GIVES A PORCH PARTY 

* *T 'M so glad that you girls have come, for I've been long- 
•*■ ing to show you the porch ever since Bob and I put on 

the finishing touches." 

"O Bettina, it's lovely !" cried all the guests in a chorus. 
"But weren't you awfully extravagant ?" 

"Wait till I tell you. Perhaps I ought not to give myself 
away, but I am prouder of our little economies than of any- 
thing else; we've had such fun over them. This is some old 
iivicker furniture that Mother had in her attic, all but this 
chair, that came from Aunt Nell's. Bob mended it very care- 
fully, and then enameled it this dull green color. I have been 
busy with these cretonne hangings and cushions for a long 
time, and we have been coaxing along the flowers in our hang- 
ing baskets and our window boxes for days and days, so that 
they would make a good impression on our first porch guests. 
Bob made the flower boxes himself and enameled them to go 
with the furniture. This high wicker flower box was a wed- 
ding gift, and so was the wicker reading lamp. This matting 
rug is new, but I must admit that we bought nothing else except 
this drop-leaf table, which I have been wanting for a long 
time. You see it will make a good serving table, and then 
we expect to eat on it in warm weather." 

"What are we to make today, Bettina? The invitation has 
made us all curious. 

" 'The porch is cool as cool can be, 
So come on Thursday just at three, 
To stay awhile and sew 
69 



70 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

On something useful, strong, and neat, 

Which, with your help, will quite complete 
Bettina's bungalow !' " 

"What about the little sketches of knives and forks and 
spoons in the corners ?" 

"Bob did that. He wrote the verse, too, or I'm afraid I 
should have telephoned. Are we all here? Wait a minute." 

And Bettina wheeled out her tea-cart, on which, among trail- 
ing nasturtiums, were mysterious packages wrapped in fringed 
green tissue paper. 

"What is in them ? Silver cases — cut and ready to be made ! 
Oh, how cunning ! Shall we label them, too ? What is the 
card? 

" 'I'll not incase your silver speech, 
For that is quite beyond my reach !' " 

"Did Bob do that, too ? The impudence !" and Ruth threaded 
her needle in preparation. 

"You see," said Bettina, "I hadn't found time to make cases 
for my silver, so I just decided to let you girls help me ! The 
card tells what to label them, in outline stitch in these bright 
colors. I used to open ten cases at home before I found what 
I wanted, so I am insuring against that." 

Talk and laughter shortened the afternoon, but at five o'clock 
Bettina wheeled out her tea-cart again. The dainty luncheon 
was decorated with nasturtiums. The girls laid aside their 
work while Bettina served : 

Sunbonnet Baby Salad Nut Bread Sandwiches 

Iced Tea Mint Wafers 

Lemon Sherbet Tea Cakes 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Sunbonnet Baby Salad (Ten portions) 

10 halves pears 10 thin slices pimento 

20 cloves, whole io T-salad dressing 

20 almonds io pieces lettuce 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 71 

Arrange the halves of canned pears, round side up, on 
lettuce leaves, which curl closely about the pear and have the 
effect of a hood. Place cloves in the pear for eyes, blanched 
almonds for ears, and slip thin slices of canned pimento into 
cuts made for nose and mouth. The expression may be varied. 
Put salad dressing around the outside of the pear to repre- 
sent hair and arrange a bow of red pimento under the chin of 
the sunbonnet baby. These salads are very effective and easy 
to make. 

Nut Bread (Twenty-four sandwiches) 

IK C-graham flour 2 t-salt 

2 C-white flour iy 2 C-milk 

4 t-baking powder 2/3 C-chopped nut meats, dates 

1 C-"C" sugar or raisins 

Sift together all the dry ingredients, add the nut meats and 
fruit. Add the milk. Stir well, and pour into two well- 
buttered loaf pans. Allow to stand and rise for twenty min- 
utes. Bake three-fourths of an hour in a moderate oven. Use 
bread twenty-four hours old for the sandwiches. "C" sugar is 
light brown sugar and gives food a delicious flavor. 

Lemon Sherbet (Ten portions) 

4 C-water V$ C-lemon juice 

2 C-sugar 1 egg white 

Boil sugar and water ten minutes. Cool, add lemon juice 
and strain. Freeze, and when nearly stiff, add beaten egg 
White and finish freezing. 

Icing (White Mountain Cream) 

2 C-sugar 2 egg whites 

Yz C-water Yz t-lemon extract 

Boil the sugar and water without stirring until it threads 
when dropped from the spoon. Pour slowly into the whites 
of the eggs beaten stiffly. Beat until it holds its shape. Add 
the flavoring and spread on the cake. 

Bettina's Suggestions 

Arrange the sunbonnet babies on a salad platter, and let the 



72 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

guests help themselves. The salad is light and attractive. The 
stem end of the pear represents the neck. Cream the butter 
to be used for sandwiches. It spreads more evenly and goes 
farther. Sandwiches taste better if allowed to stand for sev- 
eral hours, wrapped securely in a napkin which has been well 
dampened (not wet). Cut the slices very thin and press to- 
gether firmly. Cut into fancy shapes. 



CHAPTER XIX 
BETTINA AND THE EXPENSE BUDGET 

(f I> UTH asked me today how we manage our finances," 

■■^ said Bettina over the dinner table. "She said that she 
and Fred were wondering what plan was best. I'm so glad I 
have a definite household allowance and that we have bulgeted 
our expenses so successfully. The other day I was reading an 
article by Carolyn Claymore in which she says that three- 
fourths of the domestic troubles are caused by disagreements 
about money." 

"Then we haven't much to quarrel about, have we, Betty? 
That is true in more than one sense. But I'm sure that this 
way seems to suit us to a T." 

"I'm even saving money, Bob." 

"I don't see how you can when you give me such good 
things to eat, and when we have so much company." 

"Well, I plan ahead, you know — plan for my left-overs be- 
fore they are left, even. I do think that an instinct for buying 
and planning is better than an instinct for cooking. And either 
one can be cultivated. But it was certainly hard to get that 
budget of expenses fixed satisfactorily, wasn't it? I told Ruth 
that no two families are alike, and that I couldn't tell her just 
what they ought to spend for clothes, or just what groceries 
ought to cost. After all, it is an individual matter which 
things are necessities and which are luxuries. The chief thing 
is to live within your means, and save as well as invest some- 
thing — and at the same time be comfortable and happy. I told 
Ruth we started with the fixed sums and the absolute neces- 

73 



74 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

sities, and worked backward. I told her they must absolutely 
be saving something, if only a quarter a week. Then, that 
Fred must manage the budget of expenses that comes within 
his realm, and not interfere with hers, and that she must do 
the same with the household expenditures, and not worry him. 
It takes a lot of adjusting to make the system«work satisfac- 
torily, but it is certainly worth it." 

"Did you tell Ruth about the envelope system that my sister 
Harriet, uses ? She says she is so careless naturally that when 
George gives her her allowance each month, she has to put the 
actual cash in separate envelopes, and then vow to herself that 
she will not borrow from the gas money to make the change 
for the grocer-boy, and so forth. That is the only way she 
can teach herself." 

"My cousin's wife used to keep the most wonderful and 
complete accounts, but she couldn't tell without a lot of work 
in hunting up the items how much she already had spent for 
groceries or clothes or anything. She had to change her 
method, and it was she who taught me to keep my accounts in 
parallel columns, a page for a week, because you give me my 
allowance each week. I like this way so much, for I can tell 
at a glance how my expenses are comparing with the allotted 
sum." 

"I like to look at your funny, neat little notebook, Bettina,, 
all ruled so carefully for the week, and the headings, such as 
gas, electricity, groceries, meat, milk, laundry, across the top." 

"Don't make fun of my notebook. I couldn't keep house 
without it. In case of fire, I'd save it first of all, I know ! It 
is almost like a diary to me ! I can look back over it and 
remember, That was the day Bob brought Mr. Green home 
and we almost ran out of potatoes !' Or 'This was the day I 
thought my brown bread had failed, but Bob seemed to like 
it !' " she exaggerated. 

"Failures in cooking ! Why, Bettina, I don't know the mean- 
ing of the words ! And I don't see how you can feed me so 
well on the sum I give you for the purpose. I'd feel guilty, 
only you don't look a bit unhappy or overworked." 

"I should say not !" 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 75 

"You surely don't remember how to cook all the things you 
give me !" 

"No, indeed, Bob, not definitely, that is. You see, on the 
shelf by my account book, which you smile over, I have my 
card index with lots and lots of recipes filed away. Then I 
have notebooks, too, with all sorts of suggestions tucked in 
them just where I can lay my hand on them." 

"Betty dear, you've given me a real glimpse into your busi- 
ness-like methods ! Some men seem to think that it doesn't 
take brains to run a house well, but they don't know. It re- 
quires just as much executive ability and common sense as it 
does to manage a big business." 

That night the dinner for two consisted of : 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

Cold Ham Green Peppers Stuffed with Rice 

Light Rolls Peach Butter 

Hot Fudge Cake 

(All measurements are level) 

Light Rolls 

2 T-sugar ^ C-flour 

Y$ t-salt 2 T-melted butter 

Yz C-scalded milk I egg, well-beaten 

y 2 yeast cake 2 T-lukewarm water 

flour 

Add the sugar and salt to the scalded milk and when luke- 
warm, add the yeast dissolved in the lukewarm water, and 
three-fourths of a cup of flour. Cover and set in a warm 
place to rise. Then add the melted butter, the well-beaten tgg, 
and enough flour to knead. Let rise in a warm place. Roll to 
one-half an inch in thickness and shape with a biscuit cutter. 
Butter the top of each. Fold over, place in a buttered pan, 
close together. Let rise again for forty-five minutes and then 
bake in a quick oven for twenty minutes. 

Green Peppers Stuffed with Rice 

6 green peppers 1 T-chopped green pepper 

1 C-white sauce 3 onions cooked and cut fine 

y 2 C-cooked rice y 2 t-paprika 



76 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Cut the stem ends from the peppers, and remove all seeds ; 
add one-eighth of a teaspoonful of soda to each pepper, fill 
with water and allow to stand one-half hour. Mix one cup of 
white sauce with the rice, onions, chopped pepper and paprika. 
Fill the pepper cases and bake thirty minutes in a moderate 
oven. 

Hot Fudge Cake 

1/3 C-butter y 2 C-hot water 

1 C-sugar 2 C-flour 

2 egg yolks 1 t-cinnamon 
2 squares (or ounces) of choc- 1 t-soda 

olate, melted 1 t-baking powder 

y 2 C-molasses Y* t-salt 
l / 2 C-sour milk 1 t-vanilla 

2 egg whites 

Cream the butter, add the sugar and continue creaming. Add 
the egg yolks, melted chocolate, molasses, sour milk, hot water, 
flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Beat 
two minutes, and add the stiffly beaten egg whites. Fill well- 
buttered muffin pans one-half full, and bake in a moderate oven 
for twenty-five minutes. Serve hot as a dessert, with whipped 
cream. 



CHAPTER XX 

MRS. DIXON AND BETTINA'S EXPERIMENT 

ffT'M so happy!" said Mrs. Dixon, as she stopped at Bet- 
-*■ tina's door one cool morning. "But I'm nervous, too ! 
What if Frank shouldn't like it?" 

"Oh, but he will !" Bettina assured her. "He'll think he's 
the luckiest man in town, and I almost believe that he is ! He'll 
love that dear little white house with the screened porch ! Why, 
the very grass looks as if it longed to spell 'Welcome' like 
some of the door mats I've seen ! And think of the flower 
boxes ! You were very fortunate to rent it for a year, fur- 
nished so nicely, and probably when that time is up you'll be 
ready to build or buy one of your own." 

"You are a dear to cheer me up this way, but I'm nervous in 
spite of you. Perhaps I should have consulted Frank before 
I promised to take the house." 

"But he has been urging you to keep house for so long ! 
And I know he'll be grateful to you for sparing him the worry 
of hunting one himself. Besides, he'll like being surprised." 

"Well, I'll go back to the hotel for luncheon with him, and 
then I'll phone him later to meet me at the house. I won't 
tell him a thing; I'll just give him the address. I'll say it's 
very, very important. That will surprise him and perhaps will 
frighten him a little. He never does leave his office during 
business hours, but it will take only a few minutes for him to 
run out here in the car. Goodness, I'm forgetting what I came 
for! Do you suppose I am too stupid to try to make those 
Spanish buns Frank liked so much? We had them at the 
picnic, you know. I have three hours after luncheon until he 
comes, and I just long to give him some good coffee and some 

77 



78 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Spanish buns that I've made myself ! That little kitchen looks 
as if it would be so nice to work in ! I tried coffee a little 
while ago over at the house, and really — it was fine ! It looked 
just like yours! Iwas so surprised! To think of my doing 
such things !" 

"Of course you could make Spanish buns; it would be fine 
if you would. I'll tell you, — why not let me come over for an 
hour right after luncheon and superintend? Then I'll slip 
home so that you can be alone when Frank comes. I could 
tell you some other things about cooking while we're there 
together, — things you may write down in your new notebook. 
For example, I've often wondered that so few housekeepers 
can make good white sauce." 

"What in the world is that ?" 

"It's used in cream soups, and it's the cream part of creamed 
vegetables and meat and fish, and then there is a thicker white 
sauce that is used to bind croquettes — that is, hold the ingre- 
dients together. There are really four kinds of white. sauces 
and they are very simple to make. I think everyone should 
know the right way to make them, for they are useful in 
preparing so many good things." 

"I'm glad we'll be near you because I can ask you so many 
questions." 

"And I'm glad that it is summer, because you can have so 
many things that require little or no cooking, and by fall, I'm 
sure you will be an accomplished housekeeper." 

"Will you come over at two, then, or earlier if you can?" 

"Of course I will !" 

And as Mrs. Dixon hurried away Bettina felt a sympathetic 
thrill at the happiness two other people were about to find. 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Spanish Buns (Twelve Buns) 

y 2 C-butter 3 t-baking powder 

1 C-sugar 1 t-cinnamon 

2 egg yolks % t-powdered cloves 

y 2 C-milk 2 egg-whites beaten stiffly 

1^4 C-flour 1 t-vanilla 

Yz C-airrants 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 79 

Cream the butter and sugar, add the egg yolks. Mix and 
sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves ; add these 
and the milk to the first mixture. Beat one minute. Add the 
vanilla and the stiffly beaten egg whites. Bake in well buttered 
muffln pans twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Ice with con- 
fectioner's icing. 

Confectioner's Icing (Twelve portions) 

3 T-cream I t-vanilla 

i C-powdered sugar 

Mix the cream and vanilla, add sugar slowly until the con- 
sistency to spread (more sugar may be needed). This is a 
most satisfactory frosting and is easily and quickly made. It 
is suitable for hot weather. 

White Sauces (Four portions) 

i — Soup 

i T-flour i C-liquid 

i T-butter % t-salt 

This is the consistency for creamed soups. 

2 — Vegetable Sauce 

2 T-butter i C-milk 

3 T-flour % t-salt 

This white sauce is used for creamed vegetables, creamed 
fish, etc. This amount is required for two cups of vegetables. 

3 — Pattie Sauce 

3 T-butter i C-milk 

3 T-flour 1/3 t-salt 

This sauce is used for oyster or other patties. 

4 — Croquette Sauce 

3 T-butter i C-milk 

4 T-flour 1/3 t-salt 

This is called a binding white sauce and is used to hold other 
ingredients together. 



80 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Method of Preparing White Sauces 

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour and salt, 
stirring constantly. When well mixed add the liquid, a little 
at a time. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. This is far 
better than mixing the flour with a little of the liquid when 
cold, as so many people do when creaming potatoes or other 
things. If the white sauce seems too thick for the purpose, 
thin with a little more liquid before removing from the fire. 



CHAPTER XXI 
A RAINY-DAY DINNER 

THE rain had been falling all day in a heavy downpour, 
and Bettina had ventured out only to gather some red 
clover blooms for the porch table, which she was now setting 
for dinner. In spite of the rain, it was not cold, and she liked 
the contrast of the cheerful little table, with its white cloth and 
bright silver, and the gray day just outside the screen. 

"If Bob would only come home early, how nice it would be !" 
she thought. "Perhaps that's he at the telephone now." 

However, it proved to be Mrs. Dixon. "I phoned to ask 
you if I should throw away the yolks of two eggs. I've just 
used the whites." 

"Oh, no, Mrs. Dixon! Beat them up well, and add a little 
cold water to them. Then set them in the ice-box. They 
will be just as good later as they would be now. You may 
want them for salad dressing or something else." 

"If I ever have the white of the egg left, shall I treat that 
the same way?" 

"No, don't beat that up at all, nor add any water. Just set 
it in the refrigerator as it is. I'm so glad you called up, Mrs. 
Dixon. Will you and your husband take dinner with us next 
Sunday ? Perhaps we might all go to church first." 

"We'd love to do that ! I've just been worrying over Sun- 
day dinner, and you've restored my peace of mind. But won't 
it be a great deal of work for you ?" 

"I won't let it be. I don't believe in those heavy, elaborate 
Sunday dinners that take all the morning to prepare. We'll 
just come home from church and have it in half an hour. You 
may help me." 

81 



82 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"We'd love to come. I have so much to tell you. I've been 
very busy, but Frank has helped, and it has been such fun ! 
You don't know how he enjoys the little house! Well, good- 
bye till tomorrow !" 

"Boo !" shouted Bob in her ear, as she hung up the receiver. 
"I discovered your dark secret this morning! Frank Dixon 
told me !" 

"Well, what did you think of it?" 

"The only possible solution in that case. You are their good 
angel — that is, if she doesn't poison Frank with her cooking, 
or burn the house down when she's lighting the fire." 

"She won't, don't worry ! She takes to housekeeping as if 
she had always done it. Her house is immaculate ; she has 
been cleaning and dusting and polishing from morning to night. 
I'm almost ashamed of mine!" 

"I'm not !" said Bob, decidedly. "I don't see how you can 
keep it clean at all with a man like me scattering papers and 
cigar ashes everywhere. And I'm always losing my belong- 
ings, and always will, I suppose." 

"That's only a sign that we haven't discovered the proper 
place for them all yet. But we'll work it out in time. Well, 
are you hungry?" 

"Hungry ? I should say so ! Why, I could almost eat you !" 

"Well, Bob, we have a rainy-day dinner tonight that I hope 
you'll enjoy. Hash! Does that frighten you?" 

"Not your hash, Betty." 

"Well, everything is ready." 

The rainy evening menu consisted of : 

Browned Hash Creamed Cauliflower 

Date Muffins Butter 

Apple Sauce Cake Chocolate 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Browned Hash (Two portions) 

I C-chopped cold cooked beef % t-pepper 
I C-cold boiled potatoes diced i T-milk 

a few drops of onion juice i T-fat (lard, butter or one- 
2/3 t-salt half of each) 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 83 

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Spread the mixture 
evenly in a hot frying-pan in which the fat has been placed. 
Cook without stirring until a crust is formed on the bottom ; 
fold over like an omelet and place on a hot platter. 

Creamed Cauliflower (Two portions) 

i head cauliflower I t-salt 

4 C-water i C-vegetable white sauce 

Separate cauliflower into sections, wash well and cook in 
boiling salted water until tender. (About half an hour.) Drain 
and cover with vegetable white sauce. 

Date Muffins (Ten muffins) 

% C-sugar 3/4 C-milk 

% C-dates cut fine i^4 C-flour 

1 egg 4 t-baking powder 

Y A t-salt 2 T-butter (melted) 

Mix the sugar, dates, baking powder, flour and salt. Add 
milk in which one egg has been beaten. Beat two minutes. 
Add butter, melted. Fill well-buttered muffin pans half full 
of the mixture, and place in the oven. Bake twenty minutes. 
Serve hot or cold. 

Apple Sauce Cake (Ten portions) 

J /2 C-butter J^ t-powdered cloves 

1 C-sugar 1 C-hot, thick, strained, sweet- 
1 egg, beaten light ened apple sauce 

1^4 C-flour I C-mixed, chopped raisins, nut 
1 t-soda meats and dates 

V/2 t-cinnamon i t-vanilla 

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually. Stir well. Add 
the well-beaten egg. Mix the soda and apple-sauce, and add 
to the first ingredients. Alternately with the flour and spices, 
add the vanilla and fruit. Beat for two minutes. Turn into 
a square pan, and sift granulated sugar over the top. Bake 
in a moderate oven one-half hour. 



CHAPTER XXII 
BUYING A REFRIGERATOR 

ffOOMETHING in refrigerators?" said the clerk politely 

^ to Mrs. Dixon and Bettina. 

"You talk to him," said Mrs. Dixon. "I don't know a thing 
about a refrigerator ; that's why I begged you to come." 

"Well," considered Bettina, her red brown head on one 
side, "we want one that will hold not less than a hundred 
pounds of ice. The large ones are much more economical in 
the long run. Here, Mrs. Dixon, is a hundred-pound fellow. 
May we examine it, please?" 

"Certainly, madam." 

"No, this won't do. See, Mrs. Dixon, the trap is in the 
bottom of the food chamber. That is wasteful and incon- 
venient, because in cleaning it you would have to leave the 
door of the larger compartment open. That would let the 
cold air out and waste the ice. Anyhow, you know the trap 
is the sewer of the refrigerator, and has no business in the food 
chamber. The trap really ought to be in the bottom of the ice 
chamber, where it can be cleaned without removing the food, 
or opening the door of the food compartment. Besides, I 
prefer to have the ice put in at a door on the side of the front, 
not on the top. Yes, here is the kind I mean. I like this trap, 
too. See, Mrs. Dixon, isn't it fine? It has a white enamel 
lining and shelves of open wire that can be removed." 

"It looks nice, doesn't it ? And when I get some white shelf 
paper on those shelves it will be like an attractive cupboard." 

"Oh, my dear! You mustn't do that! That would prevent 
the circulation of air through the ice-box, which is the very 

8 4 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 85 

thing that makes the food compartment cold. You see, that 
circulation of air goes on through these open-wire shelves. 
Another thing, I've seen people cover the ice with news- 
papers to keep it from melting, as they thought. But they 
were mistaken. Any friction causes warmth, and ice keeps 
better when there is nothing touching it." 

"Well, if you like this one, I'll ask the price of it." 

"It will be expensive, I'm afraid, but the most economical in 
the long run. Are you staying downtown to meet Mr. Dixon ?" 

"Yes, I'd like him to see the refrigerator. He takes such an 
interest in these household things I'm getting." 

"Well, good-bye, dear. I must hurry home to get dinner. 
It won't take long, but I'll have to go, or Bob will get there 
first, and I'm a little sentimental about being there to greet 
him at the door." 

Bettina's dinner that night consisted of: 

Broiled Lamb Chops 

Boiled New Potatoes New Peas in Cream 

Vegetable Salad 

Bread Butter 

Rhubarb Pudding 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Broiled Lamb Chops (Three portions) 

3 chops i t-salt 

Wipe chops ani place in a red-hot frying-pan. As soon as 
the under surface is seared, turn and sear the other side. Turn 
down the fire a little, and continue to cook, turning chops 
often. Cook seven minutes if liked rare. When cooked, 
sprinkle with salt and spread with butter. 

Creamed New Peas (Three portions) 

i qt. peas % t-soda 

y 2 t-salt 

Shell one quart of peas, cover with cold water and let stand 
ten minutes, wash well, and drain off the water. Cover with 
boiled water and cook twenty to fifty minutes, according to age 



86 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

of peas. A pinch of soda may be added to the water. It soft- 
ens the skins on the peas. Add salt when the peas have cooked 
twenty minutes. 

White Sauce for Peas 

i T-butter y s t-salt 

I T-flour y 2 C-milk 

Melt the butter, add the flour and salt, mixing well, and the 
milk, stirring constantly. Cook two minutes. Add the peas. 

Rhubarb Pudding (Three portions) 

i C-cooked, sweetened rhubarb I T-cold water 

sauce I egg-white 

2 T-flour y 8 t-salt 

Add the water slowly to the flour and mix well. Add the 
rhubarb sauce and cook until very thick (about five minutes). 
Add the stiffly beaten white of tgg, mix thoroughly and turn 
into moistened moulds. Serve cold with cream. 



CHAPTER XXIII 

BETTINA'S SUNDAY DINNER 

f^T^HIS seems like old times!" remarked Mr. Dixon, as he 
-■-■ and his wife strolled leisurely home from church with 
Bob and Bettina. "I haven't had this peaceful Sunday feeling 
since I was a youngster. Then all the Sundays were like this, 
cool, quiet and sunny — sprinkled all over with little girls in 
smooth curls and white leghorn hats, and little boys in uncom- 
fortable, hot clothes a size too large, and newly polished shoes. 
I often recall the plentiful Sunday dinners, too !" 

"Don't get your hopes too high !" said Bettina. "Though I 
will promise you one treat, wild roses on the table. Bob and I 
walked out into the country last evening and found them." 

"What can I do?" inquired Mrs. Dixon, when she and Bet- 
tina were alone in the kitchen. 

"You can sit here and talk to me while these potatoes are 
cooking and the veal birds getting done. You see, the birds 
have already cooked three-quarters of an hour this morning 
before I went to church. The waxed beans are in the fireless 
cooker; I have to make the butter sauce for them. And you 
see I have the new potatoes all prepared, standing in cold 
water. I have only to cook them in boiling salted water till 
they are done. That won't take long, as they aren't large. I 
set the table on the porch this morning. Bob can make the 
coffee in the percolator in a little while, when we're ready. 
He usually starts it when we come to the table, and then it is 
ready in time to serve last. By the way, if you like the Thou- 
sand Island dressing we are to have for the head lettuce, I'd 
like to give you the recipe. It is a very popular one just now." 

87 



88 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Oh, I've eaten it ! Frank is very fond of it, and used to 
order it every chance he had at the hotel. Will you really 
tell me how to make it ? So many good dinners now end with 
the salad and cheese and coffee, and I think Thousand Island 
dressing on head lettuce makes a splendid salad." 

"Of course I'll show you. Well, the iced cantaloupe, which 
is our first course, is in the ice-box. Our dessert today is just 
cake with chocolate cream frosting, and coffee. It is such a 
simple Sunday dinner, but that's the kind I believe in I" 

BETTINA'S SUNDAY DINNER 

Iced Cantaloupe 
Veal Birds Boiled New Potatoes 

Gravy 

Waxed Beans Butter Sauce 

Bread Butter 

Head Lettuce Thousand Island Dressing 

Salt Wafers 

Cake with Chocolate Cream Frosting 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Veal Birds (Six portions) 



l l / 2 lb. veal steak 


y 2 t-salt 


4 slices bacon 


J4 t-paprika 


i T-butter 


2 T-milk 


x / 2 C-crumbs, fresh 


2 T-fat 



Cut veal from the round (veal steak) into strips, four by 
two and a half inches. Put the trimming and four slices of 
bacon through the food chopper. Cook the chopped meat three 
minutes in the butter. Add to this the fresh bread crumbs, 
salt, pepper and milk. Spread this mixture on the strips of 
veal. Roll and tie securely with white cord, roll in flour and 
saute until browned a little on both sides, in two tablespoons 
fat in frying pan. Place in a casserole or small covered pan. 
Season each bird with salt and a small piece of butter. Pour 
an inch and a half of water into the pan. Cook an hour, or a 
little less, in a moderate oven. Gravy may be made by adding 
four tablespoons of water to two level tablespoons of flour, 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 89 

mixing carefully and gradually pouring into the stock in which 
the meat has been cooked. Bring to a boil. 

Thousand Island Salad Dressing (Six portions) 

Yz C-olive oil Y\ t-salt 

2 T-lemon juice 54 t-paprika 

2 T-orange juice i t-Worcestershire sauce 

I t-onion juice Y\ t-mustard 

I t-chopped parsley- 
Place all the above ingredients in a pint fruit jar, fit a rubber 
on the jar cover, and shake vigorously until the dressing is 
well mixed and creamy. Pour over tomatoes, asparagus, peas, 
beans, spinach or lettuce. Serve as a salad. 

Cake with Chocolate Cream Filling (Six portions) 

Yz C-butter 2 t-baking powder 

I C-sugar Y* t-mace 

i beaten egg yolk Yz t-vanilla 

1Y2 C-sifted flour Yz C-milk 

2 egg-whites, stiffly beaten 

Cream the butter, add the sugar, yolk of egg y dry ingre- 
dients and milk. Stir well, add the flavoring, beat two min- 
utes, cut and fold in the egg white. Bake in a large round 
buttered pan in a moderate oven for thirty minutes. The pan 
should be seven inches in diameter. Cover with confectioner's 
icing. 

Confectioner's Icing 

3 C-powdered sugar 1 t-vanilla 

3 T-milk 12 chocolate creams 

Mix vanilla and milk, add powdered sugar. Mix until stiff 
enough to spread. Cut creams in half and arrange on the 
cake. 



CHAPTER XXIV 
BETTINA VISITS A TEA-ROOM 

** A RENT you a bit timid about driving?" asked Bettina, 

•*- *■ as she stepped into the car beside Mrs. Dixon. 

"Not now. You see, I've been practicing every evening with 
Frank, and he says that I am as good a driver as he is ! Oh, 
Bettina, we are having so much fun these days ! The little 
house is a great success, and I'm really learning to cook ! 
I've had some dreadful failures ; but Frank doesn't seem to 
mind. You see, I know he gets a good meal downtown at 
noon, and so I don't worry about him." 

"Look, Charlotte ! What lovely goldenrod ! We must stop 
and get some ! Don't you love it ?" 

"Indeed I do ! I have a rough brown waste-paper basket 
that it looks stunning in. I set the jar of goldenrod right 
inside! Frank is very fond of it." 

"Charlotte, you're just like a bride yourself — thinking about 
Frank's likes and dislikes." 

"Am I?" laughed Mrs. Dixon as her color rose. "Well, 
lately Frank seems just like his old self ! He appreciates 
everything so, and is so nice at home ! And it seems that he 
can hardly get home quickly enough! We have enjoyed' get- 
ting things settled and planning our future. Next year we may 
build a house of our own, but I don't care to have it too large 
to manage easily." 

"Are you going to stop here?" asked Bettina, as Mrs. Dixon 
slowed down after a peaceful stretch of level road. 

"Yes, I want to show you something." 

90 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 91 

A short path led to a small house close to the road, but 
almost hidden in a tangle of flowers and wild grapevines. 

"Isn't this a cunning little rustic place?" asked Charlotte. 
"Two friends of mine started it. See" (pointing to the sign 
over the door), "it's called 'The Friendly Inn.' Inside you'll 
find that quotation about living in a house at the side of the 
road and being a friend to every man. You know that one. 
These girls live on that farm over there. When they came 
home from college they wanted something to do — some way 
to earn money — but they didn't care to leave home. This is 
such a splendid road that the autos swarm past all summer 
long. These girls opened this little tea room, and serve lunch- 
eons and tea here all summer. Most of their supplies come 
directly from the farm. It is just a pleasant drive from the 
city, and many people like to come out here in the afternoon. 
I'll introduce you to the girls." 

Bettina found the inn-keepers charming, and after a short 
conversation, she and Mrs. Dixon ordered : 

Tomato Cup Salad Iced Tea 

Bread and Butter Sandwiches 

Vanilla Ice Cream Chocolate Sauce 

Marshmallow Cakes 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Tomato Cup Salad (Six portions) 

6 tomatoes I T-chopped onion 

I C-diced cucumbers i t-salt 

% C-chopped green peppers % t-paprika 

Y\ C-sliced radishes 6 T-salad dressing 

Wash cold firm tomatoes of a uniform size. Cut a slice 
from the stem end and scoop out seeds and pulp. Save the 
pulp. Sprinkle the inside with salt. Invert for five minutes. 
Mix the cucumber, green pepper, radishes, onions, tomato pulp, 
and salad dressing. Fill with the mixture and refill the shells. 
Have all of the ingredients cold and serve at once. If the 
mixture stands in the tomato cups very long it becomes watery. 
The tomatoes may be prepared and kept cool, and the mixture 



92 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

prepared, all but the onion, and placed in the ice-box until 
ready for use. Never put anything containing onion in the 
ice-box. Serve the tomatoes on crisp lettuce leaves. 

Chocolate Sauce for the Ice Cream (Six portions) 

i C-sugar 2 T-flour 

i square of chocolate I t-butter 

% t-salt i t-vanilla 

2 C-boiling water 

Mix the sugar, flour and salt. Add the square of choco- 
late and boiling water. Allow to boil four minutes, stirring 
constantly. Add the butter and vanilla. Serve hot or cold 
with ice cream. 

Marshmallow Cake 

Use any white cake recipe. Bake in gem pans. Cover with 
White Mountain cream icing. Just before the icing is ready 
to spread, add quartered marshmallows. Do not add the 
marshmallows while the icing is hot, as they will melt, and the 
little "bumps" are attractive when spread on the cake. 



CHAPTER XXV 
BETTINA ENTERTAINS ALICE AND MR. HARRISON 

^^T) Y the way, Bettina," said Bob, over the phone, "I saw 

-" Harrison and asked him out to dinner tonight. He 
said he was to call on Alice later, so I suggest that you invite 
her, too." 

Bettina smiled to herself at Bob's casual tone. Ought she 
to ask him not to invite company without consulting her? 

"No !" she decided emphatically. "Company or no com- 
pany, our meals shall be simple, but good enough for anybody. 
I'll not change my menu for Alice and Mr. Harrison. I'm 
sure they'll like it just as it is." 

"To tell the truth, Bettina," said Alice's vivacious voice 
over the telephone, "I'd love to come, if it weren't for that — 
that man !" 

"But, Alice, you're going to see him later." 

"I know ; worse luck ! He's the most insufferable person I 
know! You see, last night we had a little argument, and he 
was very rude." 

"Maybe he's coming to apologize." 

"Don't you imagine it! He couldn't. He dislikes society 
girls above all other people." 

"Oh, Alice !" 

"Well, he does ! He told me so evening before last, out at 
the park." 

"Seems to me you're seeing a good deal of him for a man 
you feel that way about." 

"Well, you started it. You told me that he was a woman- 
hater, and I thought it would be fun to reform him. At first 

93 



94 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

he thought me fine and sensible, but lately I've been showing 
him how frivolous I really am. I suppose I hoped that by 
this time he'd approve of everything I said and did. But he 
won't. He seems actually to be trying to reform me ! And 
I won't be reformed ! I could never be anything but frivolous 
Alice if I wanted to ! I hate those big, slow, serious men, 
without any fun in them !" 

"Cheer up, my dear !" laughed Bettina. "Come tonight, any- 
how. I like the frivolous kind, whether he does or not." 

That evening, much to Bettina's secret amusement, Mr. Har- 
rison and Alice met on the doorstep. 

"Don't think we came together," explained Alice, flippantly. 
"A dinner and an evening of me are about all Mr. Harrison 
can endure !" 

"I couldn't have spared the time, anyhow, Miss Alice. You 
see, I'm a busy man, and the people who are doing worth- 
while things in this world are obliged to overlook some of the 
amenities." 

It was on Bettina's tongue to inquire how a busy man found 
time to make so many calls as he was making now. But she 
refrained, knowing well that lively Alice could hold her own 
with any man in the universe, even though she might not be 
doing the things that Mr. Harrison considered worth while. 

"A fine dinner," said he to Bettina, as they sat down at the 
table. "I admire a woman who knows how to prepare and 
serve food. She is paying her way in the most dignified and 
worth-while profession of all — that of a home-maker." 

"Mr. Harrison," asked Alice severely, "may I inquire 
whether or not you know how to drive insects out of cabbage 
before serving it?" 

"I'm afraid I don't." 

"Well, I'm surprised, for even I know that. Bettina just 
told me. You place the cabbage, head downward, in cold 
water, to each quart of which has been added a tablespoonful 
of vinegar." 

"Silly Alice!" said Bettina. "Don't tease! Look at my 
lovely pansies. Alice, I believe you gave me that flower- 
holder when I announced my engagement." 



With Bettina s Best Recipes 95 

"When I announce my engagement " said Alice, 

Bettina saw a strange and startled look come over Mr. Har- 
rison's face, which immediately departed when Alice added : 

"Which will be years hence, no doubt — I hope my friends 
will give me nothing useful. I love to come here, Bettina, but 
I'm not a natural-born housekeeper like you. I shall marry 
an idle millionaire, and we will do nothing but travel aimlessly 
about from one end of the world to the other. That is my idea 
of perfect happiness !" 

That night for dinner Bettina served : 

Pork Chops Potatoes Maitre d'Hotel Butter 

Bread Butter 

Cabbage Salad Served in Lemon Halves 

Cocoanut Blanc Mange Custard Sauce 

Iced Tea 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Pork Chops (Four portions) 

4 chops Y t-salt 

Y\ C-water Ya t-paprika 

Wipe the chops, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a 
hot frying-pan (no fat added), brown on one side and then 
turn on the other side, cooking over a moderate fire. Add the 
water and immediately place the cover on the frying-pan. The 
steam cooks the pork more quickly and prevents over-brown- 
ing. Cook twenty-five minutes. 

Maitre d'Hotel Butter Sauce (Four portions) 

3 T-butter y 2 t-salt 

I T-lemon juice % t-pepper 

Y2 t-parsley 

Cream the butter, add the lemon juice, salt, pepper and 
finely chopped parsley. Pour this over new potatoes which 
have been boiled. Garnish with parsley. 

Cocoanut Blanc Mange (Four portions) 

% C-cornstarch 2 C-milk 

% C-sugar 2/3 C-cocoanut 

Yt t-salt 3 egg whites 



96 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Mix the cornstarch, sugar and salt with the cold water. Add 
the milk slowly, stirring well. Cook twenty minutes in a double 
boiler, stirring occasionally, or ten minutes over the flame, 
stirring constantly. Cool slightly and add the shredded cocoa- 
nut and the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. Add the vanilla. 
One-fourth of a cup of nuts, candied cherries or preserved 
pineapple may be added if desired. Chill in moulds wet with 
cold water. Serve with cream or custard sauce made from 
the egg yolks. 

Custard Sauce (Four portions) 



3 egg yolks 


1 T-flour 


1/3 C-sugar 


2 C-milk 


y 8 t-salt 


1 t-vanilla 



Beat the eggs, slowly add the sugar and the flour well 
blended, the salt and the milk. Cook in a double boiler until 
thick enough to coat a silver spoon. Add the flavoring and 
serve cold. 



CHAPTER XXVI 
OVER THE TELEPHONE 

BOB and Bettina were at breakfast one morning when the 
telephone rang. "It's Mrs. Dixon, Bettina," said Bob, his 
hand over the mouthpiece. "Much excited. Panicky. House 
afire. Hurry." 

"Hello, Charlotte!" said Bettina, quickly. "What in the 
world is the trouble ?" 

"The worst yet !" came a nervous voice. "Frank's Aunt 
Isabel is to be at our house tonight ! Oh, I wish you knew 
her ! She never did approve of me !" 

"Oh, Charlotte, you just imagine that! She wouldn't come 
if she disliked you so !" 

"That's just it! She didn't approve of me when we lived 
at the hotel, and now that we've taken a house, she wants to 
see how things are." 

"Well, things are fine ! Doesn't Frank say so ?" 

"Yes, of course. But the meals ! Two company meals to 
get, and for a critical person like her, too ! What on earth 
shall I do?" 

"Now, don't be nervous, Charlotte ! It's easy ! We'll think 
up a delicious little dinner that you can prepare mostly before- 
hand. When does she arrive?" 

"Five o'clock, and leaves just after breakfast." 

"Good ! Two simple meals and all day in which to get them 
ready. Let's see. The weather is warm, so you will prefer a 
dinner that is partly cold. Watermelon that has been in 
the refrigerator all day would be a simple dessert, with no 
cake or anything else to think of. How about cold boiled 

97 . 



98 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

tongue for your main dish? Sliced thin and garnished with 
parsley. You might also have a very good salad. Apple, cel- 
ery and green pepper salad would be delicious and economical 
also. Then you might have corn on the cob. I've had it 
recently and know how good it is. That would be the only 
thing you would have to think of at meal time, and it is very 
easy to cook. You would serve it in a napkin to keep it hot. 
Then I want to send you some peach butter that I made the 
other day ; that would go beautifully with your dinner. There 
you have it all ! If I were doing it, I should add iced tea to 
drink, served very daintily, with sliced lemon and mint leaves." 
"Oh, Bettina, how good it sounds ! Will you repeat that 
menu for me?" 

Cold Boiled Tongue 

Apple, Celery and Green Pepper Salad 

Golden Bantam Corn on the Cob 

Bread Butter Peach Butter 

Iced Tea Lemon 

Sliced Watermelon 

"Now, if you'll get a pencil and paper, I will give you some 
directions about cooking." 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Boiled Tongue (Four portions) 
A fresh beef tongue of two pounds i T-vinegar 

Wipe the tongue well. Place in a kettle and cover with cold 
water. Add the vinegar. Bring to a boil, and boil slowly 
until it seems tender when pierced with a fork. (It should 
boil at least two hours.) Take the tongue from the water, 
and remove the skin and roots while it is still warm. Cool, 
and slice thin. This may easily be cooked in the tireless cooker, 
in which case the water with which the tongue is covered must 
be brought to a good boil on the stove, and then removed to 
the cooker. If the tongue is very salty, soak in cold water for 
two hours. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 99 

Apple, Celery and Green Pepper Salad (Four portions) 

i pt. tart apples cut in ^-inch i large green pepper (cut in 

cubes strips) 

2 T-lemon juice i t-salt 

l C-celery (diced) Yz t-paprika 

6 T-salad dressing 

Mix the lemon juice and apples to prevent discoloring. Add 
the celery, salt, paprika seasoning and salad dressing. Serve 
cold on lettuce leaves. 

Corn on the Cob (Four portions) 

8 ears corn 

Carefully remove husks and all silk from the corn. Cover 
with boiling water. Cook ten minutes, or longer if the corn 
is old. If salt is added to water, it turns the corn yellow and 
toughens the husks. Very tender young corn needs little cook- 
ing. Salt may be added (one teaspoon to a quart of water) 
two minutes before removing from the fire. 

Peach Butter (One and one-half pints) 

2 C-peaches I C-sugar 

Peel peaches and slice very fine. Add one pint of sugar to 
every quart of peaches. Let stand twenty minutes. Mix well, 
and cook quickly for twenty-five minutes. Put in glasses and 
seal. 



CHAPTER XXVII 

BETTINA HAS A BAKING-DAY 

*f\T7"HY, Ruth, I didn't hear you come in!" 

T w "The door was partly open — Bob must have left it 

that way — and I slipped in quickly to see what you were up 
to. It's raining as if it never intended to stop. I called to Bob 
on his way downtown, and asked what you were doing today. 
He said that wonderful baking preparations were going on be- 
cause you expected his sister Polly and her three children to- 
morrow. That sounded like a deluge — all those lively young- 
sters, and Polly livelier yet — so, I came over to see if I couldn't 
help." 

"Indeed you can, Ruth ! That was dear of you ! We'll have 
a houseful, won't we? I have planned to put Polly and 
Dorothy and the baby in the guest room, but Donald will have 
to sleep on the davenport. And I'm planning to do most of the 
cooking today, so that tomorrow we can visit and see people 
and show the children the sights. They are coming this after- 
noon, and will be here Sunday and Monday at least. As soon 
as I finish filling these salt-shakers, I'll begin the baking. Good- 
ness, it will certainly be a help to have you here, Ruth ! You 
were such a dear to come in all this rain !" 

"Oh, I like it! I always learn so much from you, Bettina. 
But what on earth are you dojng with that rice ?" 

"Just putting a few grains in the shakers. You know salt 
gets damp on a rainy day like this, and the rice loosens it and 
absorbs the moisture. I'm doing it first because I might for- 
get." 

"What are you going to make ?" 

"Well, I'll cook some potatoes and beets to warm up or 
make salad of, and I'll make a veal loaf and a white cake, I 

100 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 101 

think. Then some salad dressing, and a berry pie and some 
sour cream cookies. Oh, yes, some nut-bread and some tomato 
gelatin, too." 

"Goodness ! Can you use all those things ?" 

"Yes, indeed! For tonight's c 1 ' er I'll have lamb chops, 
and some of the cooked potatoes, creamed, and tomato gelatin, 
and the blackberry pie. (You know berry pies ought to be 
eaten soon after they are made.) If tomorrow is a nice day, 
we'll eat our dinner in the park, and in any case, I'll be pre- 
pared, for I'll have the veal loaf, and the beets to warm up, 
and the rest of the potatoes to cream or make salad of, and the 
nut-bread for sandwiches if we need them, and the cake and 
some sliced peaches for dessert." 

"And the cookies ?" 

"Well, children always want cookies. I'll bake these on my 
big baking sheets just the size of the oven, and I'll put lots 
of raisins on top." 

"Bettina, what fun it would be to visit you ! But we must 
get at our work or Polly and family will be here before this 
big baking is done !" 

BETTINA'S BAKING DAY RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Berry Pie (Four portions) 
1% C-berries (black or blue ber- 2 T-flour 
ries) % t-salt 

14 C-sugar 1 T-lemon juice 

Wash the fruit, mix with the sugar, flour, salt and lemon 
juice. Line a deep pie tin with a plain pie paste and sprinkle 
one tablespoon sugar over bottom crust. Add the berry mix- 
ture. Wet the lower crust slightly. Roll out the upper crust 
and make slits in the middle to allow the steam to escape. 
Place on the lower crust, pinching the edges together. Bake 
in a moderately hot oven forty minutes. 

Tomato Jelly (Six portions) 

2 C-tomatoes I bay leaf 

^2 C-water 3 cloves 

1 T-sugar 1 t-salt 

3 T-gelatine 

Simmer tomatoes, water, sugar, bay leaf, cloves, and salt 



102 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

for ten minutes. Strain. Soak the gelatin in two tablespoons 
cold water, and add the hot vegetable mixture. Pour into small 
wet moulds. Chill for two hours and serve with salad 
dressing. 

Boiled Salad Dressing (One cup) 
2 egg yolks % t-paprika 

2 T-flour y 2 t-butter 

i t-salt 1/3 C-vinegar 

1 t-mustard 1/3 C-water 

2 T-sugar 

Beat egg-yolks thoroughly and add the dry ingredients 
(mixed and sifted). Gradually add the vinegar and water. 
Cook in a double boiler until thick and creamy, or directly over 
small flame, stirring constantly. If whipped cream is to be 
used, no butter need to be added. If not, add butter the last 
thing. Beat with a Dover egg beater until creamy. Keep in 
a cool place. 

Sour Cream Cookies (Three dozen) 

1 C-sugar J / 2 t-soda 
J / 2 C-butter (or lard and butter y 2 t-salt 

mixed) 2 t-grated nutmeg 

2 eggs about 2 C-flour, or as little as 
J / 2 C-sour cream or sour milk possible 

Cream the fat, add the sugar. Cream again. Add the eggs 

well beaten, sour milk, one cup flour, soda, salt and nutmeg 

mixed and sifted together. Add the rest of the flour. Roll 

out to one-third of an inch thickness, cut any desired shape, 

and bake in a moderately hot oven for fifteen minutes. Sugar 

mixed with a little flour may be sifted over the dough before 

cutting. Raisins may also be pressed into the top of each 

cooky. 

Doughnuts (Thirty) 
y C-sugar 2 C-flour 

1 egg beaten J / 2 t-salt 
2/3 C-milk y t-cinnamon 

2 t-baking powder 

Mix the beaten egg and sugar, add the milk, flour, salt, cin- 
namon and baking powder, sifted together. Take one-half of 
the dough, and roll out one-third of an inch thick. Cut with a 
doughnut cutter. Roll and cut the other half. Put the scraps 
together and roll again. Fry in deep fat, turning until a 
delicate brown. Drain on brown paper. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

POLLY AND THE CHILDREN 

H\ \T ILL you look at the way that child eats her cereal!" 
▼V ejaculated Polly at the breakfast table. "And I 
simply can't get her to eat it at home ! In fact, on warm days 
like this, she won't eat any breakfast at all." 

"I like Aunt Betty's cereal ; it looks so pretty," explained 
little Dorothy gravely, looking down at her plate of moulded 
cereal surrounded by plump red raspberries. 

"I hope you don't mind my serving it cold today," said 
Bettina. "It seemed so warm yesterday that I cooked the 
cereal and put it in moulds in the refrigerator." 

' "No indeed ! The change is a regular treat for the children. 
They like fixed-up things like this, and it certainly does give 
anyone an appetite." 

"Well, in hot weather, no one feels much like eating, any- 
how, so I try to make things as attractive as I can. And I 
want the children to have just w r hat they like. . . . You 
needn't be afraid of this cream, Polly. We buy it from a 
neighbor, and I am absolutely sure that it is both clean and 
good. I'm ashamed to say that we have no certified milk in 
thl, town. Isn't that dreadful? And people keep on buying it 
of dairies that they don't know one thing about ! Why, I've 
seen women who had just moved to town, and who knew noth- 
ing about conditions here, begin housekeeping by cleaning house 
thoroughly from top to bottom, and at the same time, leave 
an order for milk with the first dairy wagon that happened to 
drive down their street! And they buy groceries and meat 
from the nearest stores without knowing that three blocks 

103 



104 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

away there may be other stores that are better, cleaner and less 
expensive. Shouldn't you think that women would insist upon 
knowing all about the food they are giving their children? It 
seems to me that much common sense in a housewife is a great 
deal more important even than knowing how to cook and sew." 

"I think that knowing how to plan and buy is more import- 
ant than knowing how to do things with your hands," said 
Polly. "After all, it's the result that counts. You're a won- 
der, Bettina, because you have a useful head and useful hands, 
too, but I haven't. So I try to know as much as possible about 
every article of food and clothing that I buy, and to be sure 
that I am getting the very best value from Tom's money, but I 
don't know how to cook or sew or trim hats or embroider. I 
like friends and babies and outdoor exercise, but I'll confess 
that I don't like housework." 

"Well, Tom and the children seem to be perfectly contented 
and happy, and so do you. Therefore, you are a successful 
housekeeper." 

"You are the right kind of a sister-in-law to have, Betty ! I 
quite approve of Bob's choice !" 

The breakfast that morning consisted of: 

Moulded Cream of Wheat 

Raspberries 

Sugar Cream 

Poached Eggs on Toast 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Wheat Cereal (Three portions) 

I C-wheat 2 T-cold water 
1/3 C-raspberries 

Cook the wheat according to the instructions on the pack- 
age, only cook twice as long as the directions suggest. Mix 
cereal and cold water. Add boiling water slowly. This method 
prevents lumping. Wet individual moulds with cold water, 
place raspberries around the inside of the mould and fill with 
the wheat. Allow to remain in mould for fifteen minutes. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 105 

Remove from mould, surround with more berries and serve. 
If desired cold, chill in the refrigerator. Cereals may be 
cooked in a double boiler or a tireless cooker. 

Method of Cooking Cereals 

Put the water and salt in the upper part of double boiler 
and place directly over the flame. When the water boils, add 
the cereal very slowly, stirring constantly. Cook for five min- 
utes directly over the fire. Place the upper part in the lower 
part of the double boiler containing boiling water, and cook 
the required time. All cereals must be thoroughly cooked. 



AUGUST. 

Twenty little jelly -glasses, twenty pots of jam, 

Twenty jars of pickles and preserves, 

Making other wealth than this appear a stupid 
sham, 

Ah, you dears! What color, gleam and curves! 




CHAPTER XXIX 
BETTINA PUTS UP FRUIT 




6( 



H 



ONK! Honk!" sounded 



tina's door one cool morning, as 
a crowd of lively voices also 
summoned her. 

"Bettina, O, Bettina! We've 
come to get you to play tennis 
with us this morning. You 
must ! You've been neglecting 
us for Bob and we're jealous." 
"Oh, girls, I simply can't ! I 
have just bought quarts and quarts of cherries and currants 
of a boy who came to the door, and I must take today to put 
them up !" 

"That's easy ! Leave 'em till tomorrow !" said Alice cheer- 
fully. 

"I can't do that, because they're just at the canning point 
and it isn't a good thing to have them a bit over-ripe. Then 
these are freshly picked, and that is the best way to have 
them." 

"I'll stay and help ; may I ?" said Ruth,, who had suddenly 
developed a deep interest in things domestic. 

"Why, of course I'd love to have you, Ruth, but seeding 
cherries is slow work, and I believe that playing tennis would 
be more exciting." 

"But not half so interesting as to hear you tell me how you 
I love to listen." 

107 



do things 



108 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"We'll all stay," suggested Mary. "It'll do us good. But 
you'll have to lend us big aprons ; can you ?" And she looked 
down at her white middy, skirt, and shoes. 

"Come on !" shouted Elsie. "You can lecture as we seed 
cherries, Bettina. How are you going to put them up ?" 

"Well, Bob likes plain currant jelly, and plain canned cher- 
ries awfully well. I may preserve some cherries with currant 
juice, too, but I think I'll not do anything very elaborate 
today." 

"Goodness, that sounds elaborate enough to suit me! Will 
you be looking over the currants while we are stoning cher- 
ries ?" 

"Leave the stones in half of them, girls; many people like 
them that way better." 

"What were you doing to all those jars?" 

"Just getting ready to sterilize them. You see I'll put 
them on a folded cloth, in this big kettle of cold water. Then 
I'll slowly heat the water to the boiling point, and fill the jars 
immediately with the fruit and syrup. I must scald the rub- 
ber rings, too, before I use them." 

Bettina was rapidly looking over currants as she talked. 
"Girls, do you notice my jelly strainer? See, it's a piece of 
cheese-cloth fastened into a wire strainer. It can be attached 
to any kettle. I haven't used it yet, but I know that it will be 
very convenient. You know it's best to strain the juice through 
the cheese-cloth without pressure. If I have the cloth double, 
the juice will be quite clear. If I wanted an especially clear 
jelly, I could even have the juice pass through a flannel or 
felt bag." 

"How on earth can you tell when the jelly jells?" asked 
Ruth. 

"Well, I test it this way. I take up, in a cold silver spoon, 
a little of the mixture that is cooking. If it jells and breaks 
from the spoon, it has been cooking long enough. Of course I 
remove the rest from the fire while testing it, because it might 
be done." 

"Bettina, cooking and jelly-making and things like that seem 
to be so natural for you !" cried Ruth. "I get so frightened 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 109 

sometimes when I think what if I should be a poor house- 
keeper and make Fred unhappy !" 

"Alice," said Mary, "Heaven forbid that either of us should 
ever be talking like that about a man !" 

"Goodness, I should say so !" declared Alice emphatically, a 
little too emphatically, thought Bettina. 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Currant Jelly 

2 qts. currants sugar 

Pick over currants, but do not remove the stems. Wash 
and drain. Mash a few with a vegetable masher in the bottom 
of a porcelain-lined or granite kettle. Add more currants and 
mash. Continue adding currants until all are used. Bring 
to a boil slowly and let simmer without stirring until the cur- 
rants appear white. Strain through a coarse strainer, and 
allow juice to drain through a jelly bag. Measure the juice, 
and boil ten minutes. Gradually add an equal amount of heated 
sugar, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, and continue 
boiling until the test shows that the mixture has jelled. When 
filling sterilized glasses, place them in a pan containing a little 
boiling water. This keeps the glasses from breaking when 
hot jelly is poured in. Fill and set the glasses of jelly aside to 
cool. Cover with hot melted paraffin. 

Canned Cherries 

6 qts. cherries V/, qts. sugar 

l / 2 pt. water 

Measure the cherries after the stems have been removed. 
Stone if desired. If they are stoned, be sure to save the juice. 
Put the sugar and water in a kettle and stir over the fire until 
the sugar is dissolved. Add the cherries and heat slowly to 
the boiling point. Boil ten minutes skimming carefully. Put 
into sterilized jars, filling the jars to overflowing with the 
syrup. Seal securely. (When filling the jars stand them in 
a pan containing boiling water. This keeps them from break- 
ing.) 



110 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Bettina's Jelly-Making Suggestions 

1. Use a porcelain-lined or a granite kettle. 

2. Let juice drip from a cheese cloth or flannel bag. 

3. Measure equal quantities juice and sugar. 

4. Boil juice ten minutes, add heated sugar. (Heated by being 

placed in warm oven.) 

5. Boil until it drops thick from a cold silver spoon, or jells on a 

plate. 

6. The smaller the quantity of jelly made at a time, the clearer 

it is. 

7. Cook no more than three cups of juice at a time. 

8. Skim carefully. 

9. Boil regularly. 

10. Pour in sterilized glasses. 

11. Let stand in bright sun twenty-four hours. 

12. Cover with very hot paraffin. This kills any bacteria that may 

have collected. 

13. Keep jelly in a cool, dark, dry place. 



CHAPTER XXX 

A COOL SUMMER DAY 

**\X 7"HY, hello, Ruth !" cried Bettina at the door one after- 
▼ * noon. "I haven't seen you for weeks, it seems to me ! 
What have you been doing? Come in and give an account of 
yourself !" 

"First let me deliver these nasturtiums that mother sent," 
said Ruth. "She always remembers how fond you are of 
flowers." 

"Thank you, they're lovely ! I need them tonight for my 
table, too. Will you come into the kitchen with me while I 
put these in water ?" 

"M-m," said Ruth. "Something smells good ! In the oven ?" 

"Yes, pork chops, baked apples and escalloped potatoes. 
Peek in and see 'em." 

"Outch !" cried Ruth, holding her hand in sudden pain. "I 
forgot that that pan was hot, and started to pull it out to see 
better ! I'm a perfect idiot ! I do that every time I have any- 
thing in the oven !" 

"That's a shame, Ruth, dear! Here, apply a little of this 
olive oil! It's the nearest remedy I have. Vaseline is good, 
too, or baking soda. Hold it with the damp cloth to keep out 
the air." 

"It feels better already," said Ruth. "I made some ginger- 
bread last evening for dinner — Fred was there — and burned 
my hand in the same way exactly. And even at such a cost 
the gingerbread wasn't very good. I think I didn't bake it quite 
long enough. How long ought it to be in the oven ?" 

"Well, gingerbread takes longer than most quick-breads. 

in 



112 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Here, let me give you my time-guide for baking, and you can 
keep it in your card-index. Then it's always at hand when 
you want to refer to it." 

"Thank you, that's a good idea, Bettina. May I sit down 
here at the kitchen table and copy it ?" 

"Do, I'll get you a pencil and a piece of paper. Ruth, won't 
you stay to dinner tonight ?" 

"I can't possibly, Bettina. I am going out with mother, and 
should be at home now dressing. Oh, by the way, I had a 
chance to refer last night to something you made me copy and 
put with my recipe cards. 'How to Remove Grass Stains' ! I 
got it on my white dress — a dreadful looking stain — and im- 
mediately referred to my card-index. It said, 'Moisten with 
alcohol or camphor, allow to stand five minutes, and wash out 
with clear water.' The stain came out like magic ! I used cam- 
phor ; we didn't happen to have any alcohol in the house." 

"I'm so glad it came out ; that is such a pretty white dress. 
And weren't you glad you knew just where to find a remedy? 
It seems a little trouble to index things, but it is really worth 
doing." 

"I think so, too. Well, there's Bob, and T must rush off. 
Bob, you're going to have a good dinner tonight! I've just 
been investigating!" 

Bob had : 

Pork Chops Escalloped Potatoes 

Baked Apples 

Bread Butter 

Fresh Pears 

Tea 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Baked Apples 

4 apples J /2 C-water 

8 T-sugar y 2 t-cinnamon 

2 T-butter 

Select apples of uniform size. Wash and core. Place in a 
pan, cover the bottom with water. Fill each cavity with sugar, 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 113 

a dash of powdered cinnamon and a tiny lump of butter. Bake 
for thirty minutes, basting occasionally. Serve around the 
platter of pork chops. 

Bettina's Time-Guide for Baking Quick Breads 

Pop-overs — Thirty minutes in a hot oven. 

Baking-powder biscuits — Ten to fifteen minutes in a hot 
oven. 

Corn bread — Twenty-five to forty minutes in a moderate 
oven. 

Muffins — Twenty to twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. 

Gingerbread — Thirty to forty-five minutes in a slow oven. 



CHAPTER XXXI 

BOB AND BETTINA ALONE 

* * TITHY, Bob, look at the front of your Palm Beach suit!" 
* v exclaimed Bettina, after she had greeted Bob at the 
door. "What in the world have you been doing?" 

"Pretty bad ; isn't it !" said he, ruefully. "Frank Dixon 
brought me home in his car, and he had some sort of engine 
trouble. We worked on it for awhile, but couldn't fix it, so he 
phoned the garage and I came home on the street car. I must 
have rubbed up against some grease. Do you suppose my 
clothes are spoiled?" 

"No-o," said Bettina, slowly, "not if I get at them. Let me 
see ; what is it that takes out auto grease ? Oh, I know ! Bob, 
you go and change your clothes right away while I'm cooking 
the meat for dinner. Then I'll doctor these." 

"What will you do to them ?" 

"I'll rub them with lard, and let it stay on them for about 
an hour. Then after dinner I'll wash them out in warm water 
and soap, and then — well, Bob, I believe they'll be all as good 
as new." 

"I thank you, Mrs. Bettina." 

When Bob returned and Bettina was putting the dinner on 
the table, she smiled to herself over a new idea that had popped 
into her head. 

"Bob, what would you think if I should enter some of my 
nut-bread at the state fair ?" 

"Well, is that what you've been smiling at all this time? I 
think it would be fine. If I were judge you'd get first prize in 

114 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 115 

a minute ! Say, strikes me this is a pretty good dinner !" 
It consisted of : 

Ham Mashed Potatoes 

Escalloped Onions 

Rolls Butter 

Dutch Apple Cake Coffee 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Ham (Three portions) 

2/3 lb. ham 2 T-water 

Wipe a slice of ham (one-third of an inch thick) and remove 
the rind. Place in a hot frying-pan. Add the water. Cook 
until brown on both sides (about fifteen minutes). 

Escalloped Onions (Two portions) 

1 C-cooked onions 3 T-fresh bread crumbs 

y 2 C-vegetable white sauce 2 T-butter 

Mix the onions with the white sauce and pour into a but- 
tered baking dish. Melt the butter and add the fresh bread 
crumbs. Place the buttered crumbs on top of the onions. 
Brown the mixture in the oven (about fifteen minutes). 

Dutch Apple Cake (Two portions) 

1 C-floui 1 egg well beaten 

54 t-salt 1/3 C-milk 

2 t-baking powder 1 sour apple 

1 T-butter 2 T-sugar 
y 2 t-cinnamon 

Mix flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in the butter. Add 
the milk and egg. Mix well. Spread one-half an inch thick 
in a shallow pan. Pare and cut the apples in lengthwise sec- 
tions. Lay in rows in the dough with the sharp edges pressed 
lightly into the dough. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and 
sprinkle over the top. Bake thirty minutes in a moderate 
oven. Serve with lemon sauce. 



116 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Lemon Sauce (Two portions) 

x / 2 C-sugar I C-water 

y s t-salt i t-butter 

i t-flour Juice of one lemon 

Mix the sugar, salt and flour well. Add the water slowly. 
Cook seven minutes. Add the butter and lemon juice. Serve 
hot. 



CHAPTER XXXII 

BETTINA ATTENDS A MORNING WEDDING 

fSTTOW lovely!" Bettina whispered to Bob after the beau- 
■■■ -*-tiful ceremony had taken place in the rustic grape 
arbor. "How like Cousin Kate this is ! But I had no idea that 
Frances planned to be married out of doors, had you?" 

"She told me that they were hoping for fair weather, but 
weren't counting on it." 

"And this is a regular golden day ; isn't it ! What a time to 
remember ! Bob, look at Cousin Kate's flowers ! A natural 
altar, without decoration! Poppies, sweet-peas, nasturtiums, 
cosmos, more kinds than I can count ! It's a little earlier than 
they usually have weddings, too ; isn't nine-thirty early ?" 

"Yes, but Frances thought that this would be the prettiest 
time for it, and you know they aren't at all conventional." 

"What are you two gossiping about?" shouted big Cousin 
Charles in Bettina's ear: "don't you see enough of each other 
at home without avoiding the rest of us at a time like this? 
Go and kiss the bride and congratulate the groom as soon as 
you can get to them. Fanny wants to see you particularly, Bet- 
tina. Breakfast is to be served on the porch ; don't forget that 
you two are to be at the bride's table !" 

The wide porch looked very charming. Each table seated 
four, except the one for the bridal party and near relatives, 
which was in the center, surrounded by the others. On each 
table was a basket of pink sweet-peas and trailing greenery. 
Each simple white place-card held a flower or two, slipped 
through two parallel cuts across the corner. Frances was 
seated at the groom's left, and at her left sat her new brother- 

117 



118 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

in-law, who was the best man. Next to him was the minister's 
wife, then jolly Cousin Charles, the bride's father, then the 
groom's mother. At the right of the groom sat Anne, Fanny's 
sister, who was maid-of-honor ; and next to her sat the clergy- 
man. Then came the bride's mother and the groom's father. 
Beyond him sat Bettina, then Bettina's cousin Harry, then Aunt 
Nell and Bob. That was all, for there were few near relatives 
and Bettina's father and mother were in California. 

"Frances looks well ; doesn't she ?" said Aunt Nell to Bet- 
tina. "No showers, no parties or excitement, and you can see 
how simple the wedding has been. Cousin Kate is so sensible, 
and so is Frances. I can tell you already that the breakfast 
menu will be dainty and delicious, but simple." 

She was right, for it consisted of : 

Watermelon Cubes 

(Served in Sherbet Glasses) 

Fried Spring Chicken New Potatoes 

Creamed Peas 

Hot Rolls Butter 

Currant Jelly Peach Ice Cream 

Bride's Cake Coffee 

Nuts Candy 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Fried Chicken 

i 2^-lb. chicken Yz t-paprika 

4 T-flour 4 T-fat (lard and butter) 

2 t-salt 2 T-water 

To Prepare the Chicken for Serving and Cooking 

Cut the legs from the body, break the joint at the thigh and 
cut in two. Cut off the neck and wings. Break the breastbone 
and cut in two lengthwise. Break the back in two pieces length- 
wise, if desired. Plunge the pieces into cold water and allow 
to drain. Sprinkle each piece with salt and paprika, and roll 
in flour. Place the fat in a frying-pan. When very hot add 
the chicken. Allow all the pieces to brown thoroughly ; cover 
the pan with a lid and add the water, lower the fire and cook 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 119 

over a moderate fire for thirty minutes. Turn frequently to 
prevent scorching. 

Gravy (Six portions) 

3 T-fat from frying-pan I t-salt 

i T-butter % t-paprika 

6 T-fiour iy 2 C-milk 

I t-parsley chopped 

Loosen the pieces of chicken which have stuck to the frying- 
pan, add the butter, stir constantly until the butter "bubbles," 
add the flour, salt and paprika. Mix thoroughly. Add the milk 
slowly, cook for two minutes, add the chopped parsley and 
pour the gravy into a gravy bowl for serving. 

Bride's Cake (Thirty pieces) 

i x /2 C-sugar 3 t-baking powder 

J / 2 C-butter %. t-cream of tartar 

2Y 2 C-flour y 2 t-almond extract 

y% t-salt i t-vanilla 

4 egg whites 

Cream the butter, add the sugar and continue creaming the 
mixture. Mix and sift three times the flour, salt, baking pow-" 
der and cream of tartar. Add these dry ingredients alternately 
with the milk to the first mixture. Add the almond and vanilla 
extracts. Beat two minutes. Cut and fold in the egg-whites 
which have been stiffly beaten. Pour the cake batter into a 
large, round loaf cake pan, having a hole in the center. Bake 
forty-five minutes in a moderate oven. When the cake is re- 
moved from the oven, allow it to stand in a warm place for 
five minutes, then with a spatula and a sharp knife, carefully 
loosen the cake from the sides, and turn out onto a cake cooler. 
When cool, cover with White Mountain Cream Icing. 

Suggestions for Serving the Bride's Cake 

The Bride's Cake may be baked in this form and placed in 
the center of the table for the central decoration. A tall, slen- 
der vase, filled with the flowers used in decorating, may be 
placed in the hole in the cake. Place the cake upon a paste- 
board box four inches high and one inch wider than the cake. 



120 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

This gives space to decorate around the cake. The cake and 
box may be placed on a reflector, which gives a very pretty ef- 
fect. If cake boxes containing wedding cakes are distributed 
among the guests as favors, use the one in the round pan for 
central decoration and bake others in square pan. Square 
pieces may then be cut, wrapped in waxed paper, and placed 
in the boxes. 



CHAPTER XXXIII 
AFTER THE "TEA" 

ff TT\OESN'T it bore you to think of cooking when you've 

■*— ^ been out all afternoon?" asked Mrs. Dixon, wearily. 
"And today the refreshments were so elaborate and every- 
thing was so stiff and tiresome !" 

"I usually anticipate feeling this way," said Bettina, "and 
plan to have something at home that is already prepared, and 
that I can get together without much trouble. Then I put on 
a house dress as quickly as I can, for I can't bear to cook in 
party clothes. But I'm sure I don't know what I am going to 
have for dinner tonight. Bob and I had planned to go down- 
town to dinner with some friends, but just before I went out 
this afternoon he phoned that the invitation had been with- 
drawn because of somebody's illness." 

"Goodness !" cried Mrs. Dixon, "what will you do ? Go 
downtown yourselves ?" 

"No ; Bob doesn't enjoy that, and neither do I. I can man- 
age somehow, for of course there are always things in the 
house to get. I'll tell you. I'll phone Bob to bring Mr. Dixon 
here, and you can see what an emergency supper is like." 

"Oh, I couldn't think of it! You're tired, and it's nearly 
six now !" 

"Well, what of that? You can help. And I know you're 
dreading to get dinner at home. We'll just combine forces." 

Bettina went to the telephone and called Bob. "Hello, dear ! 
Please bring Mr. Dixon home to dinner with you; Charlotte 
is going to stay. And if you come in his car, will you stop on 

121 



122 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

the way and get a watermelon that has been on ice ? Be sure 
it's cold !" 

"And now," she said to Mrs. Dixon, "let me get into a house- 
dress, and then for a sight of the refrigerator." 

"Oh, what beautiful glazed apples !" exclaimed Mrs. Dixon 
ten minutes later. 

"They were to have been for breakfast, but I'll have them 
for dinner instead. Then there are enough cold boiled potatoes 
for creamed potatoes ; and, besides that, we'll have an omelet. 
And then I'll stir up some emergency biscuit " 

"And you can explain everything that you do !" 

"Well, for the omelet — we'll take four good-sized eggs — one 
for each of us " 

"What else goes in? Milk? 

"No, I think that hot water makes a more tender omelet. 
Then I'll use a few grains of baking powder to assist in holding 
it up, though that isn't necessary. We'll beat the yolks and 
whites separately till they're very light. Goodness ! There 
come the men !" 

"Here's your watermelon, Bettina !" called Bob. "A big fel- 
low ! Don't forget to save the rind for pickles, will you ? Why, 
hello, Mrs. -Dixon ! Frank's here !" 

The menu that night consisted of : 

Omelet Creamed Potatoes 

Glazed Apples 

Emergency Biscuit Butter 

Watermelon 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Omelet (Four portions) 

4 eggs Vs t-pepper 

4 T-hot water I T-butter 

y 2 t-salt a little parsley- 

Beat the yolks until thick and lemon colored. Add hot water 
(one tablespoonful to an egg), salt and pepper. Beat the 
whites till stiff and dry. Cut and fold into the first mixture. 
Heat the omelet pan, add the butter, turn the pan so that the 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 123 

melted butter covers the sides and bottom of the pan. Turn 
in the mixture, spread evenly, turn down the fire and allow 
the omelet to cook slowly. Turn the pan so that the omelet 
will brown evenly. When well puffed and delicately browned 
underneath, place the pan on the center shelf in a moderate 
oven to finish cooking the top of the omelet. Crease across 
center with knife and fold over very carefully. Allow to re- 
main a moment in pan. Turn gently with a spatula onto a hot 
platter. Garnish with parsley. An omelet is sufficiently cooked 
when it is firm to the touch when pressed by the finger. 

Creamed Potatoes (Four portions) 



I T-chopped parsley Y% t-paprika 

i T-chopped pimento i C-vegetable white sauce 

Add the potatoes, sprinkled with salt and pepper, to vegetable 
white sauce. Add pimento and parsley. Cook three minutes, 
stirring constantly. 

Emergency Biscuit 

2 C-flour y 2 t-salt 

4 t-baking powder 3 T-fat (lard and gutter) 

7/8 C-milk 

Mix the dry ingredients and cut in the fat. Add the milk, 
mixing with a knife. Drop by spoonfuls on a buttered pan, 
placing one inch apart. Bake twelve minutes in a hot oven. 

Glazed Apples (Six portions) 

6 apples i]/ 2 C-water 

iy 2 C-"C" sugar 1 t-butter 

Boil the sugar and water six minutes in a deep saucepan. 
Do not stir. Pare and core the apples. Place them in the 
syrup as soon as pared, to prevent them from discoloring. 
Cook until apples are tender. Remove the apples from the 
syrup and boil the sugar and water longer if it is not thick 
enough. Add the butter to the syrup and pour in and around 
the apples. Serve hot or cold. Granulated sugar may be used, 
but "C' J sugar gives a better flavor. 



CHAPTER XXXIV 
BETTINA GIVES A PORCH BREAKFAST 

BETTINA had risen early that beautiful July morning, for 
she had much to do. Bob had insisted upon helping her, 
and at eight, Ruth was coming. 

"Such a simple breakfast after all, Bob ! Do you think she'll 
like it?" 

"Sure she will! If she doesn't I'll disown her! Say, Bet- 
tina, I haven't had my breakfast yet, and ten o'clock sounds 
far away. May I have just one doughnut with my coffee ?" 

"Why, Bobby, Bobby ! Did I forget you? Your Aunt Eliz- 
abeth and the whole suffrage cause is on my mind this morn- 
ing, but I didn't think even that could make me forget you. 
Help yourself to anything you see that looks good !" 

The Aunt Elizabeth on Bettina's mind was an aunt of Bob's 
who was to be in town between nine and twelve, in conference 
with some of the leading suffragists of the city. She wished 
to see the bungalow, and at ten o'clock Bettina was giving a 
breakfast for her and the women with whom she was to con- 
fer. It was with fear and trepidation that Bettina had invited 
them, although she declared to herself that she was sure, sure, 
sure, of every dish on the menu ! 

As she arranged the great graceful yellow poppies in the 
center of the porch table, set for six, she was feeling somewhat 
nervous. 

"Bob, you must go now, or you'll be too late for the train. 
Take a taxi home, not a street car." 

"Taxi! You don't know my Aunt Elizabeth. She'd say, 
'Say, young man, if you aren't saving your money any better 

124 






With Bettina s Best Recipes 125 

than this, you ought to be.' And we'd probably end by walk- 
ing." 

"Hurry, dear." 

The train proved to be late, and Ruth and Bettina were ready 
to the last detail. While beautiful, distinguished-looking Aunt 
Elizabeth was dressing, Bettina was meeting guests at the door. 
Before she realized it, she had introduced everybody to the 
guest of honor, and was ushering them out to her charming 
porch table. 

"Oh, Ruth," she said in the kitchen, "isn't my Aunt Eliza- 
beth lovely? I'll say 'mine' now, not Bob's. I was in such 
a hurry that I forgot to be frightened." 

The breakfast consisted of : 



Moulded Cereal on Bananas 


Whipped Cream 


Codfish Balls 


Egg Souffle 


Green Peas 




Twin Mountain Muffins 


Jelly 


Doughnuts 


Coffee 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Codfish Balls (Four portions) 

i C-raw salt fish i egg, well-beaten 

2 C-raw potatoes % t-pepper 

i t-butter more salt if needed 

i C-cracker crumbs i T-water 

Shred the fish. Pare and quarter potatoes. Place the fish 
and potatoes in a stewpan and cover with boiling water. Boil 
twenty-five minutes or till the potatoes are soft. Do not boil 
too long or they will become soggy. Drain well, mash and 
beat until light. Add butter, seasoning and egg. Shape, roll 
in crumbs, egg, more crumbs, and fry in deep fat. These may 
be shaped into flat cakes, rolled in flour and sauted in hot fat. 
Garnish with parsley. 

Egg Souffle (Four portions) 

or % 



2 T-butter 


I t-salt 


2 T-flour 


a pinch of cayenne 


2 C-milk 


t-paprika 


4 eggs 


I C-white sauce 




2/3 C-cooked peas 



126 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Melt the butter, add the flour and gradually add the 
milk. Cook three minutes, add seasoning and the well-beaten 
yolks. Fold in the beaten whites and turn into buttered 
moulds. Set in a pan of hot water and bake in a slow oven 
until firm (about twenty-five minutes). Serve with a white 
sauce, highly seasoned, to which has been added one cup oi 
cooked peas. Pour the sauce around the souffle. 

Potato Doughnuts (Three dozen doughnuts) 

i C-mashed potatoes, hot x / 2 C-sweet milk 
iK C-sugar 2 eggs 

2 T-melted butter 3 C-flour 

3 t-baking powder % t-grated nutmeg 

y 2 t-salt y 2 t-powdered cinnamon 

y& t-salt 

Beat the eggs, add the sugar. Mash the potatoes and add 
the butter and the milk. Add this mixture to the eggs and 
sugar. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinna- 
mon sifted together. Roll one-fourth of an inch thick, cut 
with a doughnut cutter, and fry in hot deep fat. 



CHAPTER XXXV 
A PIECE OF NEWS 

AS Bettina was putting the finishing touches on her porch 
table, set for dinner, and humming a little song as she 
tried the effect of some ragged robins in a mist of candy-tuft, 
all in a brass bowl, she heard a murmur of voices at her front 
door, 

"I'll tell just Betty ; no one else must know — yet. But what 
if I haven't the courage to tell even her ?" 

"Perhaps she'll suspect anyhow !" 

"Goodness, Harry ! You make me afraid to go in ! Is my 
expression different ?" 

The answer was not audible to Bettina, though she was sure 
that she heard whispers and a little suppressed laughter. Cer- 
tainly it had sounded like Alice's voice! What? Could Mr. 
Harrison be with her ? For a moment Bettina stood stock still, 
feeling like an eavesdropper. Then she let out a gasp of amaze- 
ment. "Well !" was all she said, and sat down to think. When 
the door-bell rang, she could not at first gain the composure 
necessary to answer it. 

"Why, how are you, Alice? I haven't seen you for ages! 
And Mr. Harrison ! Do come in ; you must stay to dinner, for 
you're just in time. Bob will be home any minute." 

"Oh, we couldn't stay !" answered Alice. "Har — Mr. Har- 
rison and I were walking home from town, and when we came 
to this house, we couldn't help stopping to say 'hello.' " 

Bettina was conscious of a strained feeling in the air, which 
made her want to giggle — or shake Alice. After all, she 
couldn't help overhearing! And yet she might be mistaken! 

127 



128 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

She found herself saying— she scarcely knew what — to keep up 
the conversation. 

"Do stay ! We have a funny little dinner tonight, but I 
believe you'll like it. Bob had been rather over-worked at the 
office lately — and I tried today to think of some of his favorite 
dishes for dinner. I wanted to have a jolly little meal to take 
his mind off his worries. And it would help a lot if he could 
see you two people. Do stay ! Do you care for blueberry 
tarts, Mr. Harrison ? Well, that's to be our dessert !" 

"My, that sounds fine!" said Mr. Harrison. "Couldn't we 
stay, after all?" he asked, turning to Alice. 

"Well, if you really, truly want us," said Alice to Bettina. 

"Why, of course I do ! I'm delighted to see you ! I think 
we're fortunate. Mr. Harrison, you are usually so busy that 
we scarcely dare invite you !" 

"I suppose I ought to be at work today, but I'm taking a 
little holiday. I couldn't put my mind on business." 

He was actually blushing, Bettina thought. Suddenly she 
found Alice's arms around her and Alice's laughing face hid- 
den on her shoulder. "Don't, Harry ! Let me be the one to 
tell her !" 

And so Bob found them, all laughing and talking at once. 

"Hurrah !" said he when he heard the news. "The best pos- 
sible idea ! Is dinner ready, Bettina ? Get out some grape 
juice and we'll drink to the health and future happiness of 
Alice and Harry ! I'm the man that made this match !" 

Dinner that night consisted of : 

Fish a La Bettina (Four portions) 

Fish a la Bettina Rice Cakes 

Stuffed Tomato Salad 

Rolls Butter 

Iced Grape Juice Blueberry Tarts 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Fish a la Bettina (Four portions) 

i C-medium white sauce 2 T-chopped pimento 
i 1/3 C-cooked fish 2 T-chopped sweet pickle 

y 2 t-paprika 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 129 

Mix ingredients in order given, heat and serve on wafers. 
Rice Cakes (Four portions) 

i x A C-boiled rice i egg yolk 

y 2 t-salt 6 T-crumbs 

4 T-fat (lard and butter mixed) 

Mix the rice and salt with the egg. Shape into flat cakes, 
two and a half inches in diameter and one-half an inch thick. 
Roll in bread crumbs and saute in hot fat until brown on both 
sides. (About eight minutes.) If the egg does not sufficiently 
moisten the rice, add one tablespoon of milk. 

Stuffed Tomato Salad (Four portions) 

4 tomatoes y> t-salt 

I C-chopped cabbage % t-paprika 

4 T-salad dressing 

Stuff fresh tomatoes with cabbage, seasoned, and mixed with 
salad dressing. Arrange the tomatoes on lettuce leaves and 
place one tablespoon salad dressing on the top. Add a small 
piece of green pepper or a sprig of parsley to the salad 
dressing. 

Blueberry Tarts (Four portions) 

Fill muffin pans with plain pastry. Place two tablespoons of 
mixture on each crust. Cover with pastry strips and bake 
twenty minutes. 

Blueberry Mixture 

y 2 C-blueberries I T-butter 
Yi C-sugar i T-vinegar 

I t-cinnamon 

Mix the berries, sugar, butter cut in small pieces, vinegar 
and cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly, over a moderate fire 
for three minutes. 



CHAPTER XXXVI 

BETTINA ENTERTAINS HER FATHER AND 
MOTHER 



ffTT7"E had no such steak as this in California!" declared 
▼ f Bettina's father with satisfaction, as Bob served him 
a second helping. 

''But then," said Bettina's mother, "did you find anything in 
California that you thought equalled anything in your own 
state ? Father never does," said she, laughing. "He seems to 
enjoy traveling because it makes him feel that his own home 
is superior to every other place on earth. And it is," she 
agreed, looking about her happily. "I can say that after a 
summer spent in California, I'm more than thankful to be 
back again." 

"I was afraid that you and father would be so anxious to 
open up the house that you wouldn't agree to come here for 
your first meal." 

"Of course we're anxious to get home," said Mother, "but 
after you wrote Father that if he would come here to dinner 
tonight you would have a steak cooked just to suit him, he was 
as eager as a boy to get here." 

"Well, who wouldn't look forward to it, after a summer spent 
in hotels ?" said Father. "And I must say that Bettina's dinner 
justifies my eagerness. It's exactly right — steak and all." 

"Now for dessert!" said Bob. "This coffee that I've been 
making in the percolator is all ready, Bettina !" 

For dinner that night they had : 

130 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 131 

Pan-broiled Sirloin Steak Mashed Potatoes 

Carrots 

Head Lettuce Thousand Island Dressing 

Sliced Bananas Quick Cake 

Coffee 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Pan-Broiled Steak (Six portions) 

2 lb. sirloin steak an inch and a y 2 t-salt 

half thick i T-parsley 

I T-butter i T-lemon juice 

Wipe the meat with a damp cloth. Have a tin pan sizzling 
hot. Place the meat in the pan and cook directly under the 
broiling flame. Turn frequently with spoons, as a fork will 
pierce the meat and allow the juices to escape. A steak an 
inch and a half thick should be cooked from eight to ten min- 
utes. Place the steak on a hot platter. Sprinkle with salt, 
lemon juice and parsley. Dot with butter. Serve very hot. 

Gravy (Six portions) 

2 T-drippings from the steak T / 2 C-water 
2 T-flour y 2 C-milk 

Ya t-salt 

Pour the drippings from the steak into a pan, add flour and 
mix well. Allow the flour to brown, add water and milk very 
slowly to the flour and drippings. Add the salt and allow to 
cook until the gravy thickens. If there are not two tablespoons 
of drippings, add sufficient butter to equal the amount. 

Carrots (Six portions) 

6 medium-sized carrots x / 2 t-salt 

2 T-butter J4 t-pepper 

Wash and scrape the carrots, cut into two-thirds inch cubes 
and cook until tender in enough boiling water to cover. (About 
fifteen minutes.) Drain, add the butter, salt and pepper. 
Heat thoroughly and serve. Carrots may be scraped and 
steamed whole or cooked whole in boiling water. 



132 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Quick Cake (Sixteen pieces) 

y 2 C-butter I 2/3 C-flour 

i x / 2 C-brown sugar 3 t-baking powder 

1 egg 1 t-cinnamon 

y 2 C-milk y 2 t-nutmeg 

Y\ t-salt 8 dates, cut fine 

Cream the butter, add the sugar and mix well. Add the 
egg and milk, salt, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg 
and dates. Beat for two minutes. Bake in a well-buttered 
loaf cake pan for thirty-five minutes. 

Icing 

1 egg white 24 C-powdered sugar 

2 T-cold water y 2 t-vanilla 

Beat the egg white until very stiff; add water and sugar 
gradually. Beat thoroughly and add the flavoring. Beat until 
it will stand alone, then spread on cake. More sugar may be 
added if necessary. 

Thousand Island Salad Dressing (Six portions) 

Vz C-olive oil l A t-paprika 

juice of half a lemon 1 t-Worcestershire sauce 

juice of half an orange % t-mustard 

1 t-onion juice 1 T-chili sauce 

% t-salt 1 T-green pepper cut fine 

1 t-chopped parsley- 
Place all the above ingredients in a pint fruit jar, fit a rub- 
ber and top tightly on the jar, shake vigorously until well 
mixed and creamy, and pour over head lettuce, tomatoes, 
asparagus, peas, beans or spinach. Serve as a salad. 



CHAPTER XXXVII 
THE BIG SECRET 

ff/^OME in, Alice! Now do say that you'll stay to din- 

^-^ ner, for we can talk afterward." 

"Well, if you'll take me out into the kitchen where you are 
working. You see, I have all this to learn, and I'm depending 
on you to help me." 

"Of course I'll help, Alice, but you are so clever about any- 
thing that you care to do that I know you'll soon outstrip your 
teacher. Tell me first, does anyone know the Big Secret yet?" 

"Not a soul but Bettina, Bob, and my family. That is what 
I came to talk about." 

"Oh, Alice, I'd love to be the one to give the announcement 
luncheon, or the breakfast, or whatever you prefer to have it !" 

"Would you do it, really ? Bettina, I've been longing to have 
you offer, but it is work and trouble, and I didn't want to 
suggest it." 

"Why, Alice, I just enjoy that kind of work ! I'd be flat- 
tered to be allowed to have it here. Of course, you know that 
I can't do anything very elaborate or expensive, but I'm sure 
that between us we can think up just the prettiest, cleverest 
way of telling it that any prospective bride ever had !" 

"Bettina, my faith is in you !" 

"When do you plan to be married?" 

"Late in October or early in November, I think. And I'd 
prefer not to have it announced for a month. You see, I don't 
want to allow time for too many festivities in between." 

133 



134 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Oh, Alice, if you take my advice, you won't have any 
showers or parties at all. I know you! If you do allow it, 
you'll have more excitement than any bride in this town !" 

"Well, Harry advises me not to, but oh, Betty, you know 
how it is! I know so many people, and I do like fun, and 
then Mother likes to think of me as the center of things. She's 
afraid that when I am married to Harry I'll become as quiet 
as he is, and then too, I honestly don't think she'd feel that I 
was really married without it. You know sister Lillian had 
lots of excitement and more parties crowded into a day 
than " 

"Yes, and she was so tired that she nearly fainted when she 
stood up to be married !" 

"That's true, but she liked the fun, anyhow. She says that 
a girl can have that kind of fun only once, and she's silly to 
deny herself. Well, I'll have a whole month to think it over 
in. I've been sitting here all this time, Bettina, trying to de- 
cide what it is that you are making — those croquettes, I mean." 

"They are potato and green corn croquettes, and Bob is very 
fond of them. I made them because I happened to have some 
left-over corn. Until I learned this recipe, I didn't know what 
to do with the ears of cooked green corn that were left." 

"And what is the meat dish ?" 

"Well, that is made of left-overs, too, but I think you'll like 
it. Creole Lamb, it is called. It is made of a little cold cooked 
lamb that was left from last night's dinner. The rhubarb 
sauce that I am serving with the dinner was our dessert last 
night. But I do have a very good new dessert !" 

"New or not, the dinner does sound good. There is Bob, 
now, and I'm so glad, for I confess that my appetite is even 
larger than usual !" 

The menu that night was as follows : 



Creole Lamb 

Potato and Green Corn Croquettes 

Rhubarb Sauce 

Bread Butter 

Head Lettuce French Dressing 

Lemon Pie Cheese 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 135 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Creole Lamb (Three portions) 

i T-butter H t-lemon juice 

i T-chopped green pepper x / 2 t-salt 

y 2 T-onion, chopped 1/3 t-horseradish 

1 T-flour Y2. C-cold cooked lamb, cut in 
l /$ C-meat stock or water cubes 

% C-tomato pulp 3 pieces of toast 

Melt the butter, add pepper and onion. Cook two minutes 
and add flour, stock, pulp, lemon juice, salt and horseradish. 
Boil two minutes, stirring constantly. Add the lamb. Heat 
thoroughly, and serve on toast strips. 

Potato and Green Corn Croquettes (Three portions) 

1 C-hot mashed potatoes y 2 t-salt 

I C-green corn pulp, cooked with y 2 t-pepper 
1 T-butter 1 egg yolk 

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Shape into cylin- 
drical form, roll in bread crumbs, dip in beaten egg, roll again 
in crumbs. Deep fry. The egg yolks for croquettes may have 
a tablespoon of water added for each yolk. The whites as well 
as the yolks may be used for covering the croquettes. To get 
the corn pulp, cut the kernels lengthwise of the rows, and press 
out the pulp with the back of the knife. This recipe is good 
for left-over corn. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII 

AFTER THE CIRCUS 

66* I ^ HERE is nothing so exciting as a circus," said Ruth, 
•*■ "but oh, how comfortable and peaceful it seems to 
get away at last from the crowds and the noise ! How quiet 
and cool this porch is, Bettina. In two minutes I'll get up and 
help you with dinner, but you made a mistake to put such a 
comfortable chair here in this particular spot." 

"Ruth, stay just where you are! This meal is supper, not 
dinner, and it will be ready in the shortest possible time. Where 
are the men?" 

"Going over the plans of our house, I suppose. Fred has 
worn them almost in pieces by exhibiting them so often. There 
seem to be a great many details to settle at the last minute. 
As for me, I'm perfectly satisfied, for I'm going to have a 
kitchen exactly like yours. Bettina, what lovely nasturtiums, 
and how delicious that cold sliced ham looks with more nas- 
turtiums to garnish it !" 

"Yes, and I have nasturtium leaves lining the salad bowl — 
and see, I'll put one large flower on each plate !" 

"Don't nasturtiums always seem cool and appetizing? The 
whole supper looks that way !" 

"Well, circus day is almost invariably warm, and people are 
tired when they come home, so I planned to have a cold and 
simple meal." 

"Isn't boiled ham hard to prepare?" 

"No, indeed, nothing could be simpler. I bought a half of 
a ham — I like a piece cut from the large end — and I soaked it 
for an hour in cold water. Then I brought it to a boil in 

136 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 137 

fresh cold water and a little vinegar, and transferred it to the 
fireless cooker for five hours. Then I baked it for an hour in 
the cooker, having first trimmed it, and covered it with brown 
sugar and almost as many cloves as I could stick into it. It is 
very tender and good, I think — one of the best of my fireless 
cooker recipes." 

"I am planning to have a fireless cooker when I keep house." 
"That is fine, Ruth ! You have no idea how they save both 
gas and worry. Some day I'll give you all of my best fireless 
recipes; I use my cooker a great deal. For instance, this 
brown bread was steamed in the cooker. A fireless is invalu- 
able for steaming. I usually plan to have Boston Brown Bread, 
Tuna or Salmon Loaf and a pudding all steaming in the large 
compartment at once. Then I've learned to bake beautiful 
beans in the cooker ! I wonder what our grandmothers think 
of Boston Baked Beans and Boston Brown Bread all made in 
the fireless! I'm sure I could prove to any of them that my 
way is just as good, besides being much cooler and more eco- 
nomical ! Well, shall we call Fred and Bob ?" 
The circus day supper consisted of : 

Cold Sliced Ham 

Boston Brown Bread Butter 

Blackberries Cream 

Spiced Cake 

Iced Tea Sliced Lemon 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Spiced Cake (Sixteen pieces) 

1/3 C-butter % t-ground cloves 

1 C-sugar Y\ t-mace 

2 egg yolks i t-soda 
2/3 C-sour milk 2 C-flour 
1V2. t-cinnamon 1 egg white 

1 t-vanilla 

Cream the butter, add the sugar and egg yolks. Mix well. 
Mix and sift all dry ingredients. Sift and add alternately with 
sour milk. Add vanilla and stiffly beaten egg white. Bake in 
a loaf cake pan, prepared with waxed paper, in a moderate 



138 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 
oven for twenty-five minutes. Cover with "C" sugar icing. 
"C" Sugar Icing (Sixteen pieces) 

I C-"C" sugar % t-cream of tartar 
1/3 C-water 1 egg white 

y 2 t-vanilla 

Mix the sugar, water and cream of tartar. Cook until the 
syrup clicks when a little is dropped in cold water. Do not 
stir while cooking. Have the mixture boil evenly but not too 
fast. Pour gently over the beaten white of the ^gg. Stir and 
beat briskly until creamy. Add vanilla. Place on the cake. 
If too hard, add a tablespoon of water. 



CHAPTER XXXIX 
MRS. DIXON ASKS QUESTIONS 

**T HAD resolved," said Mrs. Dixon, at Bettina's dinner- 

-■- table, "not to accept another invitation to come here 
until you people had eaten again at our house. But your invi- 
tations are just too alluring for me to resist, and your cooking 
is so much better than mine, and I always learn so much that — 
well — here we are ! For instance, I feel that I am about to 
learn something this very minute ! ( Now, Frank, please don't 
scold me if I talk about the food !) Bettina, how did you ever 
dare to cook cabbage ? It looks delicious and I know it is, but 
I tried cooking some the other day and the whole house has the 
cabbage odor in no time. Yours hasn't. Now what magic 
spell did you lay on this particular cabbage ?" 

"Let me answer that," said Bob. "I want to show off ! Bet- 
tina cooked that as she always cooks onions and turnips, in a 
a large amount of water in an uncovered utensil. Isn't that 
correct, Bettina ? Send me to the head of the class !" 

"Yes, you're right. I did boil the cabbage this morning, 
and of course I have a well-ventilated kitchen, but I don't 
believe the odor would be noticeable if I had cooked it just 
before dinner." 

"I never used to eat cabbage," said Bob, "but I like Bet- 
tina's way of preparing it. She never lets it cook until it gets 
a bit brown, and so it has a delicate flavor. Most people cook 
cabbage too long." 

"Another question, Teacher. How did you manage to bake 

139 



140 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

these potatoes so that they are so good and mealy? Mine 
always burst from their skins." 

"Well," said Bettina, "I ran the point of the knife around 
the outside of the potato. This cutting of the skin allows it 
to swell a little and prevents it from bursting. Then I baked 
it in a moderate oven. Another thing. I've discovered that 
it is better not to pierce a potato to find out if it is done. I 
press it with my fingers, and if it seems soft on the inside, I 
remove it from the oven and press the skin until it breaks, 
allowing the steam to escape. If I don't do that, a mealy 
potato becomes soggy from the quickly condensing steam." 

"Oh, Bettina, I'm so glad to know that ! I like baked pota- 
toes because I know they are so digestible, but I never can 
make them like these. Now I won't monopolize the conver- 
sation any longer. You men may discuss business, or the war, 
or anything you choose." 

The dinner that night was as follows : 

Hamburger Steak Lemon Butter 

Baked Potatoes Escalloped Cabbage 

Bread Butter 

Prune Souffle 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Hamburger Steak (Six cakes) 

I lb. of beef cut from the round i t-onion salt or onion juice 
% t-salt % t-pepper 

Grind the meat twice and add the seasoning. Shape into 
cakes two and a half inches in diameter and one inch thick, 
handling as little as possible. Place on a hot pan and cook 
under the broiler twelve minutes, turning when brown. Dot 
with butter and serve hot. 

Lemon Butter for the Steak (Four portions) 

2 T-butter y 2 T-lemon juice 

y 2 t-salt H T-minced parsley 

% t-paprika 

Mix in order given and spread on hot meat of any kind, 
broiled steak, chops or fish. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 141 

Baked Potatoes (Four portions) 

Select potatoes of a uniform size. Wash thoroughly with a 
vegetable brush. Run the point of the knife around the out- 
side of the potato. Bake in a moderate oven forty to sixty 
minutes. 

Escalloped Cabbage (Four portions) 

2 C-cooked cabbage Y% t-paprika 
I C-white sauce % C-bread crumbs 

i T-butter 

Remove the outer leaves of a two and a half pound head of 
cabbage. Cut in half (using but half for dinner). Wash 
thoroughly and cut in shreds or chop moderately fine. Put in 
a large kettle of rapidly boiling water. Boil for twenty min- 
utes. Drain well, add one-half a teaspoon salt. Make the 
white sauce, add the cabbage and paprika, mix well. Place in 
a buttered baking dish. Cover with buttered crumbs and place 
in a moderate oven until browned. 

Prune Souffle (Four portions) 

%. lb. prunes I T-lemon juice or y 2 t-lemon 

6 T-sugar extract 

2 egg whites 

Wash the prunes thoroughly, cover with water, »and allow 
to soak three hours. Cook slowly in the same water until soft. 
Remove the stones from the prunes, and save the pulp and 
juice. Add sugar, cook until very thick (about three minutes). 
Stir constantly. Cool, add the lemon juice. Cut and fold in 
the stiffly beaten egg whites. Fill a well-buttered open tin 
mould half full of the mixture. Place the pan in another pan 
filled with boiling water. Cook in a slow oven until well 
raised, firm, and light brown in color (about twenty-five min- 
utes). Serve with the following custard sauce: 

Custard Sauce (Four portions) 

2 egg yolks % t-salt 

4 T-sugar iY C-milk 

i T-flour y 2 t-lemon extract 

Beat egg yolks until light, in the upper part of a double 



142 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

boiler. Add sugar, flour and salt. Mix well and slowly add 
the milk. Cook over the lower part of the boiler until thick 
enough to coat a silver spoon. Beat well, add the extract, and 
cool. 



CHAPTER XL 

A TELEGRAM FROM UNCLE ERIC 

**TTTHAT shall I do with this butter, Bettina?" inquired 
* * Bob, who was helping to clear off the table after 
dinner one evening. "Put it in the ice-box ?" 

"The butter from the table?" asked Bettina. "No, Bob, I 
keep that left-over butter in a covered dish in the cupboard. 
You see, there are so many times when I need butter for cake 
making or cooking, and prefer not to have it very hard. Then 
I use that cupboard butter. There's the doorbell, Bob. Now 
who do you suppose that can be?" 

"A telegram from Uncle Eric," said Bob, when he returned 
from the door. "Well, isn't that the limit ! He's coming to- 
night !" 

"Tonight !" echoed Bettina. 

"Yes, on business. You see, there are so many people in 
town for the state fair and there are several that he must see. 
He's a queer old fellow — Uncle Eric is — and he has some queer 
notions. Doesn't like hotels, or anything but home cooking. 
He doesn't want anything elaborate, but he's pretty fussy about 
what he does want. I'm sorry for you, Bettina, but I guess 
we'll have to make him welcome. He's been pretty good to 
me, in his funny way, and so I suppose he feels he can descend 
on us without warning." 

"But, Bob — tonight ! Why, I'm not ready ! I haven't gro- 
ceries in the house, or anything ! And I was planning to give 
you a cooked cereal for breakfast tomorrow." 

"It's too bad, Betty," said Bob sympathetically, "but it seems 

143 



144 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

as if we'll just have to manage some way. Uncle Eric has 
been good to me, you see. He's an old fogy of a bachelor, but 
he has a warm heart way down underneath his crusty exterior. 
And " 

"Don't you worry, Bob," said Bettina heartily. "We will 
manage. As a rule, I think it's pretty poor taste for anyone 
to come without warning or an invitation, but maybe Uncle 
Eric is an exception to all the rules. Tell me about him ; do 
you have time? When does the train get in? Do you have 
to meet it ?" 

"I guess I'd better hurry right off now." 

"But, Bob, tell me ! What must I have for breakfast ?" 

"Anything but a cereal, Betty ! Uncle Eric draws the line 
at cereals. He has an awful time with his cooks, too. They 
never suit him." 

"Goodness, Bob !" said Betty, in despair. "And I have al- 
most nothing in my cupboard. It's as bare as Mother Hub- 
bard's !" 

"Good-bye, dear ! I'm off ! I know you'll think of some- 
thing." 

Bettina smiled hopelessly at the masculine viewpoint, and 
as soon as Bob had gone she sat down to think, a dish towel 
in one hand and a spoon in the other. 

"Be a sport, Bettina," she murmured to herself. "If Uncle 
Eric doesn't like his breakfasts, it's his own fault for coming. 
Get a pencil and paper and plan several cereal-less breakfasts, 
so that while he is here you will never be at a loss." 

Thus fortified by her common sense and what is less com- 
mon, her sense of humor, Bettina soon evolved the following 
breakfast menus for Uncle Eric : 



(i) 

Cantaloupe 

French Toast Maple Syrup 

Broiled Bacon 

Coffee 



(2) 

Fresh Pears 

Creamed Beef on Toast 

Coffee 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 145 

(3) 

Cantaloupe 

Sweet Milk Griddle Cakes 

Syrup 

Coffee 

(4) 

Baked Apples 

Broiled Ham Graham Muffins 

Coffee 

(5) 

Fresh Plums 

Codfish Balls Twin Mountain Muffins 

Coffee 

(6) 
Cantaloupe 
Waffles Syrup 

Coffee 

(7) 

Watermelon 

Corn Oysters Syrup 

Toast 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

French Toast (Three portions) 

6 slices stale bread Y^ t-salt 
2 eggs T-sugar 

2/3 C-milk 

Beat the eggs slightly, add salt, milk and sugar. Place in a 
shallow dish. Soak bread in the mixture until soft. Cock 
on a hot, well-greased griddle, browning on one side and thf;n 
turning and browning on the other. Serve hot with maple 
syrup. 

Sweet Milk Griddle Cakes (Four portions) 

2 C-flour 1 C-milk 

3 t-baking powder I t-salt 

1 egg, well-beaten 

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt, add the milk to the 
well-beaten tgg, and pour the liquid slowly into the dry ingre- 
dients. Beat thoroughly for one minute. Put a spoonful on 



146 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

a hot, well-greased griddle. When done on one side, turn, and 
brown on the other. Never turn more than once. 

Broiled Bacon (Three portions) 
6 slices of bacon 

Place bacon slices, which have had the rind removed, on a 
hot tin pan and set directly under a flame for three minutes. 
Turn and broil the other side. 

Corn Oysters (Three portions) 

1/3 C-corn J A t-salt 

1/3 C-bread crumbs l /% t-pepper 

1 well-beaten egg */ 2 t-sugar 

Mix the corn, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and sugar. 
Shape into cakes two inches in diameter and one-half an inch 
thick. Grease a griddle or a frying-pan thoroughly, and when 
very hot, place fritters on the pan. When brown on one side, 
turn over onto the other side. Serve hot, with syrup. 



CHAPTER XLI 
BETTINA ENTERTAINS STATE FAIR VISITORS 

THE next morning when Bob and Uncle Eric had partaken 
of a cereal-less breakfast, and Uncle Eric had even com- 
plimented the cook, Bettina called her mother on the telephone. 

"I was about to call you, Bettina. Won't you go to the fair 
with us this afternoon? You know Cousin Mabel and the 
children are here from Ford Center, and Cousin Wilfred may 
arrive some time this morning." 

"You do have your hands full this week, don't you, Mother ? 
Uncle Eric is at home only for breakfast, and I called up to 
ask if you would all come here to dinner tonight." 

"Oh, Bettina ! I'm afraid it will be too much work for you, 
dear!" 

"I'll plan a simple meal, Mother ; one that I can get together 
in a hurry. In fact I've already planned it." 

"But, in that case, you couldn't go to the fair with us this 
afternoon, could you? And it's said to be especially good to- 
day." 

"Why, yes, I could go. I can get the most of my dinner 
ready this morning. What time would you start?" 

"At two, I think. Well, Bettina, we'll come, but you must 
make the meal simple, for we won't be back till six." 

"Don't worry, Mother." 

Bettina hastened to make her preparations, and at half after 
one her house was in order and she was ready to go. Besides, 
she was comfortably conscious of a well-filled larder — cold 
fried chicken ready and waiting, cold boiled potatoes to be 

147 



148 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

creamed, green corn to be boiled, peaches to be sliced, and 
delicious chocolate cookies to delight the hearts of the children. 

"It will take only a few moments," she thought as she ar- 
ranged the nasturtiums on her dining table, "to set the table, 
cream the potatoes, boil the corn, slice the peaches and make 
the tea. And I believe it's the sort of a dinner that will suit 
them." 

The dinner for state fair guests consisted of : 

Cold Fried Chicken Creamed Potatoes 

Corn on the Cob 

Sliced Peaches Chocolate Cookies 

Tea Milk 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Creamed Potatoes as Bettina Served Them (Six portions) 

3 C-cold, cooked potatoes, 6 T-grated cheese 
chopped iy 2 C-milk 

2 T-butter y 2 t-salt 

3 T-flour Y% t-pepper 

Melt the butter, add the flour and seasoning and mix well ; 
gradually add the milk and cheese. Cook until the consistency 
of vegetable white sauce (about one minute after it boils). 
Add the potatoes, cook four minutes, stirring constantlv. and 
serve. 

Chocolate Cookies (Three dozen) 

1 C-sugar y 2 t-cinnamon 
1/3 C-butter y 2 t-salt 

I Ggg 3 t-baking powder 

% C-milk i square chocolate 

2 C-flour i t-vanilla 

Cream the butter, add the sugar and cream well. Add alter- 
nately the sifted flour, salt, baking powder and tgg beaten in 
milk. Add the chocolate and vanilla. Turn out on a floured 
board and roll a small portion at a time to one-fourth of an 
inch in thickness. Cut with a floured cooky cutter. Place on 
a buttered, floured pan and bake in a moderate oven until 
slightly brown. (About ten minutes). 



CHAPTER XLII 
UNCLE JOHN AND AUNT LUCY 

AS Bettina was standing before a beautiful exhibit of honey 
in the agricultural building, she was startled by a hand 
upon her shoulder. 

"Gracious, Uncle John !" she exclaimed. "How you fright- 
ened me ! But I'm so glad to see you ! Where is Aunt Lucy ?" 

"Here, somewhere. You know she took a few prizes her- 
self and is probably hanging around to hear any stray compli- 
ments for her butter or preserves." 

"Aren't you ashamed, John !" said Aunt Lucy, herself ap- 
pearing like magic. "I was just looking for the queen bee 
among the others in this glass case." 

"And here she is !" said Uncle John, laying his hand on Bet- 
tina's shoulder, and laughing delightedly at his own joke. 
"You've been looking in the wrong place." 

"For that, Uncle John, I'm going to beg you and Aunt Lucy 
to come home with me to dinner. Won't you ? When did you 
come in?" 

"This morning, and we're making a day of it. We'd like 
to see the fireworks this evening, but perhaps we could go to 
your house and get back again. For that matter, you and Bob 
could go with us to see the fireworks. How about it?" 

"Oh, that would be splendid! Bob couldn't come to the 
fair this afternoon, and I came with a friend." 

"Well, we'll take you both home in the car. When shall we 
see you ? Five o'clock ? Fine ! And you and Bob must come 
back with us this evening." 

Dinner that night consisted of : 

149 



150 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Broiled Ham 
Hashed Brown Potatoes Pickled Beets 

Bread Butter 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Hashed Brown Potatoes (Four portions) 

2 C-chopped potatoes a pinch of pepper 

y 2 t-salt 4 T-fat 

Put fat in frying-pan, when very hot, add the potatoes, salt 
and pepper. Cook three minutes, allowing to cook without 
stirring for two minutes. Fold as an omelet and turn onto a 
hot platter. Garnish with parsley. 

Pickled Beets (Four portions) 

6 beets 2/3 C-vinegar 

2 T-sugar 

Wash the medium-sized beets thoroughly, and cook until 
tender in boiling water. Drain, cover with cold water and slip 
off the skins. Slice the beets into one-fourth inch slices. Cover 
with vinegar and sugar. Allow to stand two hours before 
using. 

Brown Betty (Four portions) 

2 C-sliced apples 1 t-cinnamon 

1 C-fresh bread crumbs 3 T-butter 

yi C-brown sugar x / 2 C-water 

Mix the apples, all but two tablespoons of the bread crumbs, 
brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and pour 
into a buttered baking-dish. Pour the water over the whole 
mixture. Use the remainder of the crumbs and a little melted 
butter for the top. Bake forty-five minutes in a moderate 
oven. Serve hot or cold with hard sauce. 

Hard Sauce for Brown Betty (Four portions) 

4 T-butter r / 2 t-vanilla extract 

1 C-powdered sugar y 2 t-lemon extract 

1 t-boiling water 

Cream the butter, add the boiling water, and the sugar 
gradually. Stir until the sauce is creamy. Add vanilla and 
lemon extract. Set in the ice-box to harden. Serve cold. 



CHAPTER XLIII 

SUNDAY DINNER AT THE DIXON'S 

ffV^OU seem to have gained in weight, Frank," said Bob, 
«*• as he and Bettina sat down to Sunday dinner with the 
Dixons. 

"And what's more, I've gained in spirits ! Say, there's noth- 
ing like living in a real home! Why, people, just think of 
having Charlotte say to me as she did yesterday, 'Frank, Bob 
and Bettina are coming to dinner to-morrow, and I want you 
to plan the menu !' And here it is ! Excuse me for seeming 
too proud of my own good judgment and my wife's skill in 
cookery, but " 

"Hush, Frank! Maybe Bob and Bettina won't like your 
choice of dishes or your wife's cooking !" 

"What!" said Bob. "I have yet to meet the person who 
doesn't like fried chicken! And roasting ears and new pota- 
toes ! Sa-ay !" 

"It's a man-size dinner all right, isn't it?" said Mr. Dixon. 
"You know ever since I was a boy my idea of Sunday dinner 
(at least in the summer) has been fried chicken with gravy, 
new potatoes, boiled corn on the cob, and ice cream with sliced 
peaches ! Because ice cream is coming, isn't it, Charlotte ? At 
least I ordered it, and this appears to be my lucky day !" 

"Indeed, it is coming," said Mrs. Dixon. "You see, Bet- 
tina, ever since I came to keep house (thanks to you) I've 
longed for the time to come when I could let Frank plan a com- 
pany meal that I could carry out to the last detail. I have tried 
all these things before, although not all at the same time. I 
have always suspected that he would order fried chicken and 

151 



152 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

its accessories (a 'little boy dinner' I called this), so when I 
told him that he might plan the meal, I knew that I could cook 
it. You see, I have wanted to invite you and Bob — oh, I've 
been thinking of it for a long time, but you can cook so well 
that I thought perhaps you'd rather eat at home !" 

"Charlotte, this is a perfect dinner — far better than I could 
get, I know." 

"This salad is an acquired taste with me," put in Mr. Dixon. 
"In my boyhood, my ideal dinner did not include salad, but 
Charlotte said there must be one, so this was my choice. I 
mixed the oil-dressing myself," he added with pride. . 

"It was a simple dinner to get," said Mrs. Dixon. "But now, 
Frank, we mustn't boast any more about our own dinner, must 
we? Bob and Bettina will laugh at us. You see, we're regu- 
lar children since we took the house, but we do have lots of 
fun. I wouldn't go back to hotel living for anything in the 
world !" 

"And neither would I," said Frank, "if for no other reason 
than the joy of entertaining our friends at dinner this way !" 

Their Sunday dinner consisted of : 

Fried Chicken New Boiled Potatoes 

Corn on the Cob 

Bread Butter 

Sliced Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad 

Oil Dressing 

Vanilla Tee Cream with Peaches 

White Cake Iced Tea 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Vegetable Salad (Four portions) 

2 medium-sized tomatoes ]/ 2 cucumber 

I onion 

Dressing 

4 T-vinegar y 2 t-salt 

2 T-oil 54 t-paprika 

Cut the peeled tomatoes and cucumber in one-third inch 
cubes, mix with the onion chopped fine. Add the dressing, 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 153 

which has been well mixed, and allow to stand ten minutes in 
a cold place. Serve on head lettuce. 

Peaches for Ice Cream (Six portions) 

2 C-peaches, sliced 2/3 C-sugar 

Add the sugar to the peaches and allow to stand in the ice 
oox for ten minutes. Place peaches around the ice cream. 

White Cake (Twenty pieces) 

y 2 C-butter V% t-salt 

1^2 C-sugar I C-milk 

2 2/3 C-sifted flour 4 egg whites, beaten stiffly 

5 t-baking powder 1 t-vanilla 

y?. t-lemon extract 

Cream the butter, add the sugar, and continue creaming for 
two minutes. Alternately add all the dry ingredients and the 
milk. Beat well. Cut and fold in the egg-whites. Add the 
flavoring. Bake in two buttered layer-cake pans, twenty-five 
minutes in a moderate oven. Cover with "C" sugar icing. 

"C" Sugar Icing (Twenty portions) 

3 egg whites 2/3 C-water 
3 C-"C" sugar 1 t-vanilla 

Cook the sugar and water together without stirring until 
the icing "clicks" in cold water. Remove from the fire and 
pour very slowly over the stiffly beaten egg-whites. Beat vigor- 
ously and continuously until the icing gets thick and creamy. 
Add the vanilla. Spread on the cake. 

Vanilla Ice Cream (Six portions) 

1 qt. cream 1 T-vanilla 

$4 C-sugar Y% t-salt 

Mix cream, sugar, vanilla and salt. Place in a scalded and 
chilled freezer. Turn until the mixture stiffens. Pack for two 
hours to ripen. 



CHAPTER XLIV 

A RAINY EVENING AT HOME 

W I A HIS is just the kind of a cold, rainy evening," said 
-*- Bob as he pushed back his chair, "that makes me feel 
like making candy." 

"Fine!" said Bettina. "What kind shall it be?" 

"Penoche, if you have all the ingredients." 

"I think I have. Let's see. It's better when it's made partly 
with 'C sugar, and I have that. I wonder if there will be 
enough milk left for breakfast if we use a little ! Well, penoche 
really tastes exactly as good when it is made with water in- 
stead, though, of course, it isn't so rich. But then, I think, we 
do have enough milk." 

"First of all, though," said Bob, "we'll wash these dishes. 
It was a mighty good dinner tonight, Bettina. The nice kind of 
a hot meal that it seems good to come home to on a night like 
this." 

"It was an oven dinner, Bob. You see, the meat loaf, the 
escalloped potatoes, and the rice pudding were all in the oven 
at once. I always try to use the oven for more than one dish 
if I am using it at all." 

"We seem to have eaten all of this tomato sauce," said Bob, 
as he carried out the dish, "but there is a good deal of meat 
left. Will you have to make more sauce ?" 

"No, I planned just enough for one meal. Then, tomorrow, 
I'll serve the rest of the meat cold without a sauce. How did 
you like the rice pudding hot as it was tonight? You know 
1 usually serve it cold." 

"It tasted very good for a cold evening. There, all these 

154 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 155 

dishes are ready to wash, Bettina. Will you get out some tea 
towels for me?" 

The dinner that night consisted of : 

Hot Beef Loaf Tomato Sauce 

Escalloped Potatoes 

Bread Butter 

Rice Pudding 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Beef Loaf (Five portions) 

I lb. beef cut from the round % t-onion salt 
%. lb. salt pork J4 C-cracker or bread crumbs 

y 2 t-salt i egg yolk 

% t-pepper i T-milk 

I T-butter 

Grind the meat well, and mix all the ingredients excepting 
the butter. Pat into an oblong shape and place in a well- 
buttered pan. Add three tablespoons of water to the pan, and 
place the butter in small pieces on the top of the loaf. Cover 
the pan and bake thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven. 

Tomato Sauce (Three portions) 

1 C-tomatoes, cut up I slice of onion or 
Y-2. C-water % T-onion salt 

2 bay leaves 2 T-outter 
1 t-sugar 2 T-flour 

% t-ground cloves 1/3 t-salt 

Simmer for fifteen minutes the tomatoes, water, bay leaves, 
sugar, cloves and onion. Strain and press out all the pulp. 
Melt the butter, add the flour, blend well, slowly add the 
strained tomato and salt. Cook one minute. Serve hot on 
the meat. 

Escalloped Potatoes (Three portions) 

4 potatoes (medium sized) 1 T-salt 

2 T-flour % t-pepper 

2 T-butter milk (about one cup) 

Wash and peel the potatoes. Slice very thin. Mix through 
the sliced potatoes, the flour, salt, pepper and the butter in 



156 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

small pieces. Place the mixture in a well-buttered pan or bak- 
ing dish, and cover with milk. Usually one cup suffices. Bake 
in a moderate oven forty-five to fifty minutes. (Do not fill 
the pan more than three-fourths full, as the potatoes will boil 
over.) 

Rice Pudding (Three portions) 

1%. C-milk i t-vanilla 

i egg i C-cooked rice 

4 T-sugar i t-butter 

% t-salt % t-grated nutmeg 

Beat the egg, add the suger, salt, nutmeg, vanilla, and milk. 
Add the rice. Pour the mixture into a well-buttered baking 
dish and dot over with the butter. Bake in a moderate oven 
twenty-five minutes. It may be served hot or cold. Cream 
may be served with it if desired. 

Penoche 

2 C-"C" sugar 2/3 C-milk 

1 C-granulated sugar % t-cream of tartar 
1 T-butter % C-nut-meats 

1 t-vanilla 

Mix the sugar, butter, milk and cream of tartar. Cook, 
stirring occasionally to prevent from scorching, until a soft 
ball is formed when a little candy is dropped in cold water. 
Remove from the fire, and do not stir until it is cool. Put back 
on the stove for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from 
stove, and beat vigorously until very creamy. Add the nuts 
and vanilla. When hard and creamy, remove from the pan, 
patting into shape and kneading until soft and creamy. Place 
on a buttered pan, patting to the thickness of three-fourths of 
an inch. Cut into the desired shape. 



SEPTEMBER. 

Apple-tree, apple-tree, crowned with delight, 
Give me your fruit for a pie if you will; 

Crusty I'll make it, and juicy and light! 

Give me your treasure to mate with my skill! 




£^2£ELg> 




s^..««0-.«.tlk, 



CHAPTER XLV 



RUTH MAKES AN APPLE PIE 




ttT'LL tell you, Ruth," said 
-!• Bettina, in answer to some 
questions, "you come home with 
me now, and make an apple pie 
for our dinner ! I'll watch and 
direct you, and perhaps I can 
show you what made the crust 
tough on the one you made at 
home. Do come. I can't prom- 
ise you an elaborate dinner to- 
night, for my funds are very 
low and I must be careful. But I had planned to make an 
apple pie myself. Bob is so fond of it that no matter what else 
we may have, an apple pie dinner is a feast to him." 
"But goodness, Bettina ! I might spoil it !" 
"No, you wouldn't, and I would show you just what to do. 
I suspect that you handled the dough too much before and 
that was what made the pie seem tough." 

"I suppose I did; I was so anxious to have it well mixed." 

"Did you use your fingers in mixing in the shortening? I 

know that many good cooks do it, but it is really better to use 

a knife, with the blade flat. And then roll the pastry out just 

as lightly as possible." 

"Do you make pastry with lard or butter?" 
"I usually make it with an equal amount of each. Lard 
makes a more tender crust than butter, and a whiter crust, 
but I think butter gives it a better flavor." 

159 



160 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Bettina and Ruth had reached home by this time, and Bet- 
tina brought out the materials for Ruth's pie. 'Til give you 
ice-water to moisten the pastry," said she; "it isn't necessary, 
but it is really better in the summer time. And while you're 
mixing in the shortening with this knife, I'll be cooking some 
eggs hard for eggs a la goldenrod which I am going to give 
you tonight." 

"Eggs a la goldenrod !" exclaimed Ruth, "How good that 
does sound !" 

"It is a very good luncheon-dish, but I find it also good 
for dinner when I'm not having meat. I think it looks appe- 
tizing, too." 

"I must learn how to make it. You know Father comes home 
at noon, and it is hard to think of a variety of luncheon-dishes. 
I usually have eggs or cheese in some form or other, but 'eggs 
a la goldenrod,' are new to me." 

"We also have cottage-cheese tonight," said Bettina. "I 
plan to make it about once a week. Ruth, I believe I hear Bob 
now ! Well, he'll have to wait half an hour or more for his 
dinner !" 

That night they had : 

Eggs a la Goldenrod Potato Cakes 

Strained Honey Cottage Cheese 

Bread Butter 

Apple Pie Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Eggs a la Goldenrod (Four portions) 

3 hard-cooked eggs iy 2 C-milk 
3 T-butter y 2 t-salt 

3 T-flour % t-pepper 

Y% t-parsley 

Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and pepper. Mix well. 
Add the milk gradually. Cook until a white sauce consistency. 
Add chopped egg-whites. Pour this mixture over slices of 
toast arranged on a platter. Force the yolks through a strainer 
on top of the sauce oh the toast. Garnish with parsley and 
serve hot. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 161 

Potato Cakes (Four portions) 

2 C-mashed potatoes I T-lard 

i T-butter 

Form cold seasoned mashed potato into cakes two inches 
in diameter. Dip the cakes lightly into a little flour. Allow 
one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon lard to get very hot 
in a frying-pan. Put in the cakes, brown on each. side, and 
serve. 

Cottage Cheese (Four portions) 

I qt. sour milk % t-paprika 
I t-salt i T-cream 

Place thick freshly soured milk over a pan of hot water, not 
boiling. When the milk is warm and the curds separate from 
the whey, strain off the whey in a cheese cloth. Put into a 
bowl, add salt, pepper and cream to taste. Stir lightly with a 
fork. 

Some of Bettina's Pastry Rules 

One — All the materials must be cold. 

Two — Always roll one way and on one side of the pastry. 

Three — Shortening should be handled as little as possible. 

Four — Dough should be mixed with a knife and not touched 
with the hands. 

Five — Shortening should be cut in with a knife. 

Six — Cook pastry in a hot oven having the greatest heat 
at the bottom so that it may rise before browning. Crust is 
done when it slips from the pan. 



CHAPTER XLVI 

BETTINA MAKES APPLE JELLY 

**\X THAT have you been doing ?" asked Bob, as he and 
▼ » Bettina sat down to dinner. 

"Oh, Bob, I've had the nicest day ! Mother 'phoned me this 
morning that Uncle John had brought her several big baskets 
of apples from the farm, and that if I cared to come over to 
help, we would put them up together, and I might have half. 
Well, we made apple jelly, plum and apple jelly, and raspberry 
and apple jelly. I had made all these before, and knew how 
good they were, but I learned something new from Mother 
that has made me feel happy ever since." 

"And so you came home, and in your enthusiasm made this 
fine dandy peach cobbler for dinner !" 

"Bob, that was the very way I took to express my joy !'" 

"Well, what is this wonderful new apple concoction?" 

"Perhaps it isn't new, but it was new to me ! It is an apple 
and mint jelly, and I know it will be just the thing to serve 
with meat this winter." 

"How did you make it? (I hope you are noticing how inter- 
ested I'm becoming in all the cooking processes!)" 

"Well, I washed and cut into small pieces four pounds of 
greening apples. Then I washed and chopped fine one cup 
of fresh mint, and added it to the apples. I covered the mix- 
ture with water, and cooked it all till the apples were so tender 
that they were falling to pieces. I strained it then, and used 
three-fourths of a cup of sugar for each cup of juice. I cooked 
this till the mixture jellied, and then I added four teaspoons of 

162 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 163 

lemon juice and enough green vegetable color paste to give it a 
delicate color." 

"Isn't that coloring matter injurious?" 

"Oh, no, Bob ! It's exactly as pure as any vegetable, and it 
gives things such a pretty color. Why, I use it very often, and 
I'm sure that more people would try it if they knew how suc- 
cessful it is ! It is such fun to experiment with. Of course, I 
never use anything but the vegetable coloring." 

"Well, go on with the jelly. What next?" 

"That's all, I think. I just poured it into glasses, and there 
it is, waiting for you to help me carry it home from Mother's. 
Now, Bob, won't that be good next winter with cold roast beef 
or cold roast veal ? I know it will be just the thing to use with 
a pork roast !" 

"I'm growing very enthusiastic. Sounds fine. But speaking 
of cooking, this is a mighty good dinner. I like peach cobbler 
as well as any dessert there is." 

"I'm glad you like it. But I forgot to tell you, Bob, that I'm 
to have all the apples I can use in the fall. Uncle John has 
promised them to me. Then Mother says we'll make cider. 
Won't that be fine ?" 

"I should say it will ! Cider and doughnuts and pumpkin 
pie ! Makes me long for fall already ! But then, I like green 
corn and watermelon and peaches, so I suppose I can wait." 

That evening Bettina served : 



Sliced Beef Loaf 

Sauted Potatoes Creamed Corn 

Cinnamon Rolls Butter 

Peach Cobbler Cream 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Sauted Potatoes (Two portions) 

2 large potatoes cooked */ 2 t-salt 
2 T-lard % t-pepper 



164 A Thousand Ways *Fo Please a Husband 

Peel cold boiled potatoes. Put two tablespoons of lard in 
the frying-pan. When hot, add the potatoes and season well 
with salt and pepper. Brown thoroughly on all sides. (They 
should cook about ten minutes.) 



Creamed Corn (Two portions) 

I C-corn cut from the i t-butter 
cob i T-milk or cream 

Yz C-water l / 2 t-sugar 

Ya t-salt 

Cook the corn and water together very slowly for twenty 
minutes, or until the water is all cooked out. (Place on an as- 
bestos mat to prevent burning.) Add butter, milk, sugar and 
salt. Serve hot. 

Cinnamon Rolls (Twelve rolls) 

2 T-sugar *4 C-lukewarm water 

y 2 t-salt \y 2 C-flour 

i C-milk (scalded and 3 T-butter 
lukewarm) 4 T-sugar 

1 yeast cake ^ C-butter 

y 2 C-sugar 

Mix sugar, salt and scalded milk. When lukewarm, add the 
yeast cake dissolved in one-fourth of a cup of lukewarm water. 
Add one and a half cups flour. Cover and set in a warm place 
to rise. When double in bulk, add the butter (melted), four 
tablespoons sugar and more flour (enough to knead). Let 
rise, knead and roll into a sheet half an inch thick, spread 
with a mixture made by adding melted butter, one and a 
fourth cups sugar and the cinnamon. Roll up like a jelly 
roll. Cut in slices three-fourths inch thick. Place in a pan one 
inch apart, let rise again. Bake in a moderately hot oven 
twenty-five minutes. 

Peach Cobbler (Two portions) 

1 C-flour 3 good-sized reaches 

1 t-baking powder 1/3 C-sugar 

% t-salt % t-vanilla 

1 T-butter H C-sugar 

% C-milk j /a C-water 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 165 

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients (baking powder, salt 
and flour), and add the milk. (The resulting dough should be 
of biscuit dough consistency.) Peel and slice the peaches, mix 
well with the sugar (one-third cup) and place on the bottom of 
a baking dish, (not tin.) Place dough shaped to fit, on the 
top of the pe^ ,hes. Make three holes to allow the steam to 
escape. Bake thirty minutes in a moderate oven. Boil the 
sugar and water four minutes. When the cobbler has cooked 
for twenty minutes, pour the syrup over it and allow to cook 
ten minutes more. Cream may be served with the cobbler if 
desired. 



CHAPTER XLVII 
AFTER A PARK PARTY 

((A BEAUTIFUL day," said Bettina at the breakfast table. 

J~\ "September is doing better than August." 

"I was just thinking," said Bob, "that it might be fun to get 
Harry and Alice, and go out to Killkare park this evening. I 
don't believe you've been on a roller coaster this year." 

"It would be fun to go," said Bettina, "although I haven't 
missed the roller coaster." 

"Well, let's ask them to go. We can stay there awhile and 
then " 

"Then what?" 

"Oh, nothing. Then go home." 

"Bob, you meant — come here afterward and have a nice lit- 
tle lunch ; didn't you ?" 

"I confess that I thought of that, and then I happened to 
remember that you were going out this afternoon and wouldn't 
want to bother with any preparations for a party." 

"Going out this afternoon would not worry me at all — it is 
just that my funds are getting a little low, and I couldn't serve 
anything expensive. Let me think what I have on hand — yes, 
I believe I could do it by serving a salad and a dessert out of 
my own head." 

"A Bettina salad? That's the very best kind. And what 
will the dessert be?" 

"A Bettina dessert, too. I have some lovely apples, Bob, and 
I just can't afford anything very expensive. I know this will 

1 66 



With Bettina s Best Recipes 167 

be good, too, but you mustn't complain if I have sponge cake 
to eat with it." 

"I should say not, Bettina. Whatever you give us will tickle 
me, and Alice and Harry are in such a state of blindness that 
they won't know what they're eating." 

That evening they had : 

Bettina Salad Boston Brown Bread Sandwiches 

Bettina's Apples Sponge Cake 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Bettina Salad (Four portions) 

i C-chopped New York cheese ~% C-chopped roasted peanuts 

12 Pimento" stuffed olives, % t-salt 

chopped J /i t-paprika 

3 sweet pickles, chopped very 4 T-salad dressing 

fine 4 pieces of lettuce 

Put the cheese through the food chopper or grate it, add the 
olives chopped, the sweet pickles, peanuts, salt and paprika. 
Blend well, and form into balls, one inch in diameter. Ar- 
range several on a lettuce leaf. Serve salad dressing with the 
salad. 

Bettina's Apples (Six apples) 

6 apples 8 marshmallows 

1 C-"C" sugar l / 2 C-cocoanut shredded 

1 C-water 6 cherries 

Peel and core the apples. Drop into the sugar and water 
which has been boiled for ten minutes to form a syrup. Place 
a lid on the pan and cook the apples until tender. Remove 
from the syrup and roll in the cocoanut. Add the marshmal- 
lows to the syrup (which has been removed from the fire) and 
allow them to melt. Stir them in the syrup. When the marsh- 
mallows are dissolved, stir the mixture to mix the marsh- 
mallows with the syrup. Pour around the apple, and fill the 
hole in the center of the apple. Place a red cherry on the top 
of each. 



168 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Hot Water Sponge Cake (Eight portions) 

2 egg-yolks I t-grated rind lmon 

I C-sugar 2 egg-whites 

I C-boiling water i C-flour 

I T-lemon juice i t-baking powder 

Yt t-salt 

Beat the yolks until thick and lemon colored, add the sugar 
gradually and beat for two minutes. Add the flour, sifted 
with the baking powder, and salt. Add the boiling water, 
lemon juice, and grated rind. Beat with a Dover egg-beater, 
two minutes. Fold in whites of the eggs. Bake thirty-five 
minutes in a moderate oven in an unbuttered pan. Do not cut 
sponge cake, except through the crust, then break apart. 



CHAPTER XLVIII 

BETTINA SPILLS THE INK 

ffTT7"HERE are you, Bettina?" called Bob one September 
▼ » evening when Bettina failed to meet him at the door. 
"Oh, Bettina !" 

"Here I am, Bob, in the kitchen ! I'm so ashamed of my- 
self!" 

"What for?" 

"My carelessness. I just spilled a whole bottle of ink on 
this new apron of mine ! I had begun to get dinner, and as it 
was a little early, I sat down for a minute to finish a letter to 
Polly. Then all at once I thought something was burning, and 
jumped up in such a hurry that I spilled the ink. I ought to 
have known better than to try to do two things at once ! Luck- 
ily, the dinner was all right, but look at this apron ! And it 
was such a pretty one !" 

"Well, Bettina, I'm always getting ink and auto grease on my 
clothes, and you seem to keep yours spotless. So it is a sur- 
prise to me that it happened. Still, spoiling a new apron may 
be unfortunate, but I shouldn't call it tragic. Is it really 
spoiled ?" 

"No, I think I can fix it up so it will be almost as good as 
new, but it's a nuisance. See, I'm soaking it in this sour milk. 
I'll leave it here for four hours, and then apply some more 
milk for awhile. Then I believe the ink will come out when I 
rinse it." 

"Well, Bettina, I'm glad you didn't spill ink on the dinner. 
Something smells mighty good !" 

169 



170 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

They had: 

Beef Balls Gravy 

Mashed Potatoes 

Bettina's Celery and Eggs 

Cinnamon Rolls Butter 

Watermelon 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Beef Balls (Three portions) 

I lb. round steak %. t-paprika 
I t-salt l /& t-celery salt 

% t-onion salt 

Grind round steak, season, shape into round cakes and broil 
them for seven minutes under the flame. While they are cook- 
ing, prepare the horseradish sauce. 

Horseradish Sauce (Four portions) 

2 T-butter I C-milk 
2 T-flour 2 T-horseradish 

y 2 t-salt 

Melt the butter, add the flour. Mix well, add the milk and 

cook one minute. Add the salt and the horseradish. Serve 

immediately. 

Mashed Potatoes (Three portions) 

4 medium-sized potatoes y 2 C-milk 
iy 2 T-butter y 2 t-salt 

y 8 t-pepper 

Cook the potatoes (peeled) in boiling salted water. When 
done, drain off the water, pass through a vegetable ricer, or 
mash well with a potato masher. Add butter, salt, pepper, and 
the milk. Beat vigorously, reheat and pile lightly in a hot dish. 

Bettina's Celery and Eggs (Three portions) 

i C-cooked diced celery 2/3 C-vegetable white sauce 
2 hard-cooked eggs sliced 1 T-butter 

3 T-fresh bread crumbs 

Add the sliced hard-cooked eggs and cooked celery to the 
white sauce. Mix well. Pour the mixture into a well-buttered 
baking dish. Cover with the crumbs which have been mixed 
with melted butter. Bake in a moderate oven until a delicate 
brown. (About twenty minutes.) 



CHAPTER XLIX 

BETTINA ATTENDS A PORCH PARTY 

f fTX7"ELL, what have you been doing today?" asked Bob, 
* * after he had finished an account of events at the 
office. 

"I've been away all afternoon, Bob, at the loveliest little 
porch party at Alice's ! You know her porch is beautiful, any- 
how, and her party was very informal. She telephoned to 
five of us this morning, and asked us to come over and bring 
our sewing; the day was so perfect. She served a delicious 
little luncheon from her tea cart, very simple but so good ! And 
the beauty of it was that she had made everything herself ! 
She didn't tell the girls, but she whispered it to me. Of course, 
if she had told the others, she would have given herself away ; 
they are a little suspicious of her now because she is seen every- 
where with Harry !" 

"He told me he wished they could announce it right away ! 
He doesn't like to make a secret of it." 

"It won't be very long now — you know they are to be mar- 
ried in October or November. But, Bob, as I was telling you, 
Alice did all the cooking for this party herself. Of course, it 
was simple, but really, I think she is quite wonderful. She has 
never done anything useful before, but she is so clever, and 
she has such a 'knack' that it will really be easier for her than 
for Ruth. And Ruth will work twice as hard. Alice says that 
she is going to give other little parties this way, and practice 
on her guests. She says she is determined to do things just 
as well as anybody else, and now that she is interested, she 
has a tremendous pride in being a success. You know how 

171 



172 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

high-spirited Alice is. Well, she isn't to be surpassed by any- 
one in anything she cares to do ! Oh, I forgot, Bob, she gave 
me some cakes to bring to you, and also some salted nuts." 

"Hurray for Alice ! She's some friend all right ! What 
else did you have at the party ?" 

"Such good salad — she gave me the recipe — well, her menu 
consisted of : 

Honolulu Salad Graham Bread Sandwiches 

Frozen Apricots White Cake 

Salted Nuts Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Honolulu Salad (Six portions) 

6 slices canned pineapple % t-salt 

J4 C-cottage cheese 6 nut-meat halves 

I T-chopped pimento 6 pieces of lettuce 

I t-chopped green pepper 6 T-salad dressing 

Add the chopped pimento, green pepper and salt to the cot- 
tage cheese. Work all together well, shape into balls one inch 
in diameter. Place a ball in the center of each slice of pine- 
apple, which has been arranged upon a piece of lettuce. Place 
a nut meat upon the top of each cheese ball. Serve one table- 
spoon of salad dressing upon each service. 

Frozen Apricots (Six portions) 

2 C-peeled and quar- 2 T-lemon juice 

tered apricots I C-water 

i C-sugar I egg-white 

Cook apricots, sugar and water until the apricots are soft. 
(About five minutes.) Cool, add the lemon juice and freeze. 
When the mixture is half frozen, add the stiffly beaten white 
and continue freezing until stiff. More sugar may be used if 
desired. 



CHAPTER L 

A DINNER COOKED IN THE MORNING 

ffTX^E'LL treat Uncle Eric so well that he'll have a good 
* * time in spite of himself," Bob had said when he had 
proposed that his gruff old uncle be invited. "I'll take Satur- 
day afternoon off, and we'll go to the matinee, then we'll come 
home to dinner, and then go again to the theatre in the eve- 
ning." For a great actor was to be in town, and this was the 
reason for Uncle Eric's possible visit. "If he'll only come," 
Bob had added doubtfully. 

"He'll come," said Bettina confidently, for she felt that she 
had discovered the soft spot in Uncle Eric's heart. "We'll 
have a good dinner, too." 

Bob remembered what she had said about the dinner and 
repeated it to himself as they stepped from the street car after 
the matinee. "It's late, Bettina," he said anxiously, "will it 
take you long to get dinner?" 

"A very few minutes," answered Bettina. "Just long enough 
to warm it over." 

To warm it over! But then, all of Bettina's dinners were 
good, so he resolved not to worry. Nevertheless, he could not 
help leaving Uncle Eric for a few minutes to come into the 
kitchen. "What can I do to help?" 

"Not a thing, Bob dear. You see, I had this whole dinner 
ready this morning, and I have warmed it all up in the oven. 
I have discovered that croquettes are exactly as good when 
fried in the morning, and so are veal cutlets. And wait till 
you try the cauliflower !" 

173 



174 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"I trust you, Bettina," said Bob, laughing. "It all looks 
mighty good to me. Here, I'll help you put it on the table." 
For dinner that night they had : 

Veal Cutlets Potato Croquettes 

Escalloped Cauliflower 

Baked Apples 

Bread Butter 

Chocolate Ice Cream White Cake 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Veal Cutlets (Three portions) 



I lb. J^-inch slices of 


Ya t-paprika 


veal cut from the leg 


1/3 t-salt 


I t-salt 


1 egg-white or yolk 


\y 2 pints of water 


1 T-water 


i C-cracker crumbs 


Hot fat for frying 



Wipe the meat, place in one and one-half pints of boiling 
water, to which has been added one level teaspoon of salt. 
Boil gently until tender (about thirty minutes). Remove from 
the water and allow to cool until easy to handle. Remove the 
bone and skin, and cut into pieces for serving. Mix the 
paprika, salt (one-third of a teaspoon) and the cracker crumbs. 
Roll each piece of meat in the crumbs, then in the Qgg, to 
which the water has been added, and again in the crumbs. 
Pat the crumbs onto the meat. Arrange the meat on a platter 
and allow to stand fifteen minutes. Have sufficient fat in a 
pan to cover articles of food. When the fat is smoking hot, 
add the veal cutlets, and turn to cook each side. When a 
delicate brown (after about five minutes), remove and drain 
on paper. Keep hot in the oven. Place the veal cutlets on a 
platter and arrange baked apples around the edges. Serve the 
potato croquettes on the same platter, garnished with parsley. 

Potato Croquettes (Three portions) 

1 C-hot mashed or 1 egg-yolk 

riced potatoes 1 T-milk 

Y% t-celery salt 1 t-salt 

y 2 t-chopped parsley 1 T-butter 

Yz t-onion extract Ys t-paprika 

3 T-flour 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 175 

Mix the mashed potatoes, celery salt, parsley, onion extract, 
egg yolk, milk, salt, butter and paprika. Beat two minutes. 
Shape into balls two inches in diameter. Roll in flour and 
allow to stand fifteen minutes. Cook in deep fat three minutes 
or more until a delicate brown. Drain on brown paper and 
keep hot in a moderate oven. 

Escalloped Cauliflower (Three portions) 

i small head of cauliflower i l / 2 C-vegetable white sauce, 

i qt. water seasoned 

I t-salt y$ C-buttered crumbs 

Soak the cauliflower in cold water to which a tablespoon of 
vinegar has been added. Cut apart and cook in a quart of 
water to which salt has been added. Make white sauce and 
add the cauliflower. Pour into a well-buttered baking dish. 
Cover with buttered crumbs. Bake twenty minutes in a mod- 
erate oven. 



CHAPTER LI 

A SUNDAY DINNER 

*^\I 7*E have gone 'over home' for so many Sunday dinners 
▼ » lately," Bettina had said to her mother, "that I want 
you and father to come here tomorrow." 

"But, Bettina," her mother protested, "isn't it too much 
work for you? And won't you be going to church?" 

"I can't go to church tomorrow, anyhow, for Bob's Uncle 
Eric is to be in town all morning ; he leaves at noon, and the 
Dixons have offered us their car to take him for a drive. 
Don't worry, Mother, I'll have a simple dinner — a 'roast beef 
dinner/ I believe. I often think that is the very easiest kind." 

Sunday morning was so beautiful that Bettina could not bear 
to stay indoors. Accordingly, she set the breakfast table on 
the porch, even though Uncle Eric protested that it was too 
far for her to walk back and forth with the golden brown 
waffles she baked for his especial delight. When he and Bob 
had eaten two "batches," Uncle Eric insisted that he could 
bake them himself for a while. He installed Bettina in her 
chair at the table, and forced waffles upon her till she begged 
for mercy. 

"Gracious !" Bettina exclaimed as she heard the "honk" of 
the Dixons' automobile at the door. "There are the Dixons 
already and we have just finished breakfast ! Bob, you and 
Uncle Eric will have to go on without me, for I must get the 
roast in the oven and do the morning's work." 

"Well, I learned today to make waffles," said Uncle Eric. 

For dinner that day Bettina served : 

176 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 177 

Roast Beef Brown Gravy 

Browned Potatoes Baked Squash 

Lettuce French Dressing 

Lemon Sherbet Devil's Food Cake 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Roast Beef (Eight portions) 

3^2 lb. rump roast of beef 2 t-salt 
4 T-flour 54 C-hot water 

Roll the roast in the flour and set on a rack in a dripping- 
pan. Place in a hot oven and sear over all sides. Sprinkle 
the salt over the meat and add the hot water. Cover the meat 
and cook in a moderate oven. Baste every fifteen minutes. 
Allow fifteen minutes a pound for a rare roast, and twenty 
minutes a pound for a well done roast. When properly done, 
the outside fat is crisp and brown. 

Brown Potatoes (Six portions) 
6 potatoes 2 t-salt 

Wash and peel the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt. Forty 
minutes before the roast is to be done, add the potatoes. Dur- 
ing the last ten minutes of cooking the lid may be removed 
from the meat and potatoes to allow all to brown nicely. 

Browned Gravy (Six portions) 

4 T-beef drip- 1 C-water 

pings 
2 T-flour y A t-salt 

Place four tablespoons of beef drippings in a pan, add 
the flour and allow to brown. Add the rest of the drippings, 
the water and the salt. Cook two minutes. Serve hot. 

Baked Squash (Six portions) 

1 squash 1^2 t-salt 

2 T-butter 34 t-paprika 

Wash and wipe the squash, and cut into halves, then quar- 
ters. Remove the seeds. Place the pieces of squash, skin 



178 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

down, in a baking-dish and bake in a moderate oven until 
tender (about one hour). Remove from the oven, mash up 
with a fork, and add to each portion one-half a teaspoon of 
butter, one-fourth a teaspoon of salt, and one-eighth a teaspoon 
of paprika. Reheat in the oven and serve hot. 

Devil's Food Cake (Sixteen pieces) 

1/3 C-butter 2/3 C-sour milk 
i l /i C-sugar 1 t-vanilla 

1 egg 2 C-flour 

2 squares of melted chocolate 

Cream the butter, add the sugar and continue to cream the 
mixture. Add the egg, well beaten, and the chocolate. Mix 
well. Add the soda and flour sifted together, and the sour milk 
and vanilla. Beat three minutes. Bake in two layer cake pans 
prepared with waxed paper for twenty-five minutes in a mod- 
erate oven. 

Icing (Sixteen portions) 

2 C-"C" sugar 2 egg-whites beaten stiffly 
l / 2 C-water 1 t-vanilla 

Cook the sugar and water together until it clicks when a 
little is dropped into a cup of cold water. Pour slowly over 
the beaten egg whites. Beat vigorously until creamy. Add the 
vanilla. Pour on one layer of the cake. Place the upper layer 
on top, and pour the rest of the icing upon it. Spread evenly 
over the top and over the sides. 



CHAPTER LII 
BOB MAKES PEANUT FUDGE 

* * T USUALLY complain when it rains — I have that habit — 

■*■ but I must confess that I like a rainy evening at home 
once in a while," said Bob, as he and Bettina sat down at the 
dinner table. "Dinner on a rainy night always seems so cozy." 

"Liver and bacon don't constitute a very elaborate dinner," 
said Bettina. "But they taste good for a change. And oh, 
Bob, tonight I want you to try a new recipe I heard of — peanut 
fudge. It sounds delicious." 

"I'm there," said Bob. "I was just thinking it would be a 
good candy evening. Then, when the candy is done, we'll 
assemble under the new reading lamp and eat it." 

"Yes, it'll be a good way to initiate the reading lamp ! Wasn't 
it dear of Uncle Eric to give it to us ? I kept wondering why 
he was so anxious to know just what I planned to do with 
the money I won for my nut bread at the fair. I even took 
him around and pointed out this particular lamp as the thing 
I had been saving for. And here it arrived the day after he 
left, as a gift to me ! It was dear of Uncle Eric ! But now 
what on earth shall I do with my fair money?" 

"Don't worry about that, Bettina. Put it in the bank." 

"But I'd like to get something as sort of a monument to my 
luck. Have you any particular needs, Bob ?" 

"Not a need in the world! Except for one more of those 
fine fruit gems over there." 
- That night they had for dinner : 

Liver and Bacon Creamed Turnips 

Fruit Gems Apple Sauce 

Tea 

V9 



180 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Creamed Turnips (Two portions) 

I C-turnip cubes i T-flour 
1/3 t-salt % t-salt 

1 T-butter y 2 C-milk 

Peel the turnips. Cut into one-half inch cubes. Soak in 
cold water ten minutes. Cook in boiling water in an uncovered 
utensil until transparent no longer. Drain and sprinkle with 
salt. Melt the butter, add the flour and the one-fourth tea- 
spoon salt, blend well, add the milk gradually and cook until 
creamy. Add the turnips and serve. 

Liver and Bacon (Two portions) 

4 slices bacon 1 t-salt 
2/3 lb. liver *4 t-paprika 

3 T-flour 

Cover slices of calves' liver cut one-half inch thick with 
boiling water. Allow to stand five minutes. Drain and cut 
into pieces for serving. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roll 
in flour. Have a frying pan very hot. Add sliced bacon. 
When the bacon has cooked on each side, pile up on one side of 
the pan and add the liver, placing a piece of bacon on top of 
each portion of liver, thus preventing the bacon from getting 
too well done, and also seasoning the liver. Brown the liver 
thoroughly on both sides. (It should be cooked about ten 
minutes.) Serve hot. 

Fruit Gems (Nine Gems) 

2 C-flour 24 C-milk 

3 t-baking powder 1 egg 

3 T-sugar 1 T-melted butter 

% t-salt 1/3 C-seeded, chopped 

raisins or currants 

Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Break the 
egg into the milk, stir well, pour into the dry ingredients. Beat 
vigorously one minute. Add the melted butter and raisins or 
currants. Bake in nine well buttered gem pans for twenty 
minutes in a moderate oven. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 181 

Peanut Fudge (Six portions) 

I C-"C" sugar 2/3 C-milk 

1 C-granulated sugar i T-butter 
54 t-cream of tartar I t-vanilla 

2 squares of chocolate y 2 C-broken peanuts 

Mix the sugar, cream of tartar, chocolate, milk and butter. 
Cook over a moderate fire until the fudge forms a soft ball 
when a little is dropped into cold water. Remove from the 
fire, allow to stand without stirring for twenty minutes. Beat 
vigorously until creamy. Add the vanilla and peanuts. When 
very thick remove to a buttered plate. Allow to harden and 
cut in squares. 



CHAPTER LIII 
DINNER AT THE DIXONS 

^TS it still as much fun to keep house as it was at first, 

■■■ Charlotte?" asked Bettina as she and Bob sat down to 
dinner with the Dixons. 

"Fun?" said Charlotte. "Bettina, look at me! Or better 
still, look at Frank ! And the funny part of it all is that Aunt 
Isabel thinks our keeping house is a result of her preach- 
ments against boarding and hotel living. Why, she quite ap- 
proves of me now ! And I'll just keep quiet and let her feel 
that she was the one who did it, but all the while in my heart 
I'll be remembering that it was the sight of your happiness 
that roused my ambition to make a home myself." 

"I tell you," said Mr. Dixon, "we can never thank you 
enough, Bettina. Now shall I play 'Home Sweet Home' on the 
piano? And will you all join in the chorus?" 

"Not if you sing, too," said Mrs. Dixon, smiling at her 
husband's foolishness. "I've learned a great deal from you, 
since I began, Bettina, and not the smallest lesson is that of 
having company without dreading it. I don't try to make 
things elaborate, just dainty and simple food such as we have 
every day. Why, tonight I didn't make a single change for 
you and Bob ! And I don't believe I should dread even Aunt 
Isabel's sudden arrival now." 

"Aunt Isabel is really a good soul, Bettina," said Frank. 
"Charlotte has never learned how much worse her bark is than 
her bite, and she takes it to heart when Aunt Isabel speaks 
her mind. Why, I remember so well the scoldings she used 

iS2 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 183 

to give me when I was a boy, and the cookies she would man- 
age to treat me with afterward! I used to anticipate those 
pleasant scoldings !" 

"If a scolding always comes before food," said Bob, "Char- 
lotte must have given you an extra good one before inviting 
us to partake of that delicious-looking chocolate pie!" 

That evening they had : 

Cold Sliced Ham Creamed Potatoes 

Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice 

Peach Butter 

Chocolate Pie 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice (Six portions) 



6 tomatoes 


2 T-grated cheese 


l / 2 C-rice, cooked 


i t-chopped onion 


l / 2 C-green pepper, 


Y A t-salt 


chopped 


i T-butter 



Remove a piece one inch in diameter from the stem end of 
each tomato. Take out the seeds. Fill the shells with the 
rice, pepper, cheese, onion and salt, well mixed. Place a small 
dot of butter on top of each. Place in a small pan and bake 
twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. 

Chocolate Pie Crust (Six portions) 

i C-flour l /i t-salt 
1/3 C-lard 3 T-ice water 

Mix the flour and salt, cut in the lard with a knife, add the 
liquid slowly, stirring with the knife. More water may be 
needed. Roll out thin, fit onto a tin pan, prick with holes, 
and bake in a hot oven until light brown (about seven min- 
utes). 

Filling (Six portions) 

1 C-sugar 2 eggs 

5 T-flour i x / 2 squares melted 
Ys t-salt chocolate 

2 C-milk y 2 t-vanilla 



184 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Mix well the sugar, flour and salt. Add gradually the milk 
and beaten egg yolks. Cook in a double boiler fifteen min- 
utes. Add the melted chocolate. Cook until thick (about ten 
minutes), and add the vanilla. Fill the baked shell, and cover 
with meringue. Place in a moderate oven and cook until the 
meringue is a delicate brown (about five minutes). 

Meringue 

2 egg whites 4 T-sugar 

Beat the whites of eggs very stiff. Add the sugar. Pile 
lightly on the chocolate mixture. Brown in the oven. Choco- 
late pie should be served cold. 



CHAPTER LIV 

A GOOD-BY LUNCHEON FOR BERNADETTE 

ff"DlG success!" was what Bettina's eyes telegraphed to 
-*-* Ruth across the purple and white asters in the center 
of a long porch table. Ruth was giving a farewell luncheon 
for Bernadette, her young cousin, who was leaving that night 
for a fashionable New York school. Although there was no 
suggestion of it in the dainty dishes the two girls served to the 
hungry and vivacious young guests, Ruth was "trying out" 
her cooking with all of the stage-fright of the beginner. The 
recipes and suggestions were chiefly Bettina's, and the two 
had been busy in Ruth's kitchen since early that morning. 
Bernadette was a critical young person, although light-hearted 
and affectionate, and Ruth felt that she could set her humble 
efforts before no sterner judge. Yet all the while, as she 
tasted each course in its turn, her mind was running on, "Will 
Fred like this? Some day I'll be serving this to Fred!" It 
was certainly a satisfaction to feel one's self able to cook a 
luncheon acceptable to "the younger society set !" 

With each course an enormous motto, supposedly of the 
"Don'ts for School Girls' Series," was brought in ceremoni- 
ously on a tray and suspended from the chandelier over the 
table, until finally five huge, if foolish, "Don'ts" were dangling 
there for Bernadette's inspection. 

With the last course, Ruth, in the postman's hat, coat and 
bag, brought in an endless supply of letters for Bernadette, 
to be opened at such times as "When You Meet Your Impos- 
sible Room-mate," "When You Feel the First Pangs of Home- 

185 



186 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

sickness," "When Reprimanded by a Horrid Old Teacher," 
"When Forced to Mend Your Own Stockings," etc. 

Bernadette seized them all delightedly, glanced at the covers 
and cried out, half in laughter, half in tears, "Oh, girls, I 
simply can't go 'way off there ! I'll die !" Her friends fell 
upon her with scoldings and hugs, and in the midst of the 
noise and clamor, Ruth and Bettina slipped out to laugh and 
talk over Ruth's first serious culinary effort. 

The menu consisted of : 

Iced Cantaloupe Balls 

Chicken Croquettes Potatoes in Cream 

Green Peppers Stuffed with Corn 

Rolls Peach Pickles 

Cherry Salad Wafers 

Chocolate Cream Pudding 

Coffee 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Chicken Croquettes (Eight croquettes) 



IV2 


C-cooke 


d chopped 


1 


t-parsley 


chopped 


fine 




chicken 




% 


C-thick 


white sauce 


l A 


t-celery 


salt 


% 


t-salt 






1 


t-lemon 


mice 


2 


C-crumbs 










4 T-egg 


, beaten 







Mix the chicken, celery salt, lemon juice, parsley, salt and 
thick white sauce. Shape into croquettes. Roll in cracker 
crumbs, beaten egg and more crumbs. Deep fry. Serve hot. 

Green Peppers Stuffed with Corn (Six portions) 

1 C-corn-pulp, cooked 2 T-bread crumbs 
x /2 t-salt x /% t-pepper 

1 egg-yolk y 2 t-sugar 

Y A C-milk 1 T-butter 

6 green peppers 

Scoop out the contents of the peppers. Mix the corn, salt, 
egg yolk, milk, bread crumbs, pepper and sugar. Fill the 
peppers. Dot with butter. Place in a pan and bake thirty 
minutes in a moderate oven. Cover the bottom of the pan 
with water. Baste the peppers frequently. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 187 

Cherry Salad (Six portions) 

2 C-California y 2 C-hazelnuts 
cherries 6 lettuce leaves 

6 T-salad dressing 

Remove the seeds from two cups of California white cher- 
ries, and fill with filberts or hazel nuts. Arrange on crisp 
lettuce leaves, and serve with salad dressing. 

Chocolate Cream Pudding (Six portions) 

2 C-milk i l / 2 squares of melted 

5 T-cornstarch chocolate 

y 2 C-sugar 3 T-hot water 

54 t-salt 2 egg-whites 

i t-vanilla 

Mix the cornstarch, sugar and salt. Add cold milk gradu- 
ally, mixing well. Melt the chocolate in the hot water, and 
add it to the other mixture. Cook in the double boiler ten 
minutes, stirring occasionally. Beat three minutes. Add the 
stiffly beaten white and the vanilla. Mould, chill and serve. 
If the chocolate does not melt in the hot water, cook over the 
fire a minute. Whipped cream may be served with the pud- 
ding. 



CHAPTER LV 

BETTINA PLANS AN ANNOUNCEMENT 
LUNCHEON 

66 \ ND so I thought, if you were willing, I would have the 
-/jl luncheon the last of this week," said Bettina to Alice 

one sultry afternoon which they were spending on Bettina's 

porch. 

'That's dear of you, Bettina. Oh, how queer it will seem 

to have everyone know about it ! You must let me help with 

the luncheon, of course." 

"No, indeed, Alice ! Ruth and I are going to do it all alone, 

and the guest of honor is not to lift a finger ! You can advise 

us, of course, but you mustn't arrive that day till everything 

is ready. I want to tell you abdut a few plans I've made. 

I wish I could consult Harry, too." 

"But he won't be at the announcement party !" 

"No, but he's the leading man in the drama, and important 

even when off the stage. Let's telephone him to come here 

to dinner tonight. It is so warm that I have planned only a 

lunch, but we can set the porch table and have a jolly informal 

time. Do call him up, Alice." 

"I'd love to, of course, if you really want us." 

"Indeed I do, but we'll have to hurry, for it's after five 

now." 

"I'll help you," said Alice, after Harry had given his hearty 

acceptance. "Let me fix the salad." 

"All right, and I'll stir up some little tea cakes. It's better 

not to cut those beets too small, Alice ; it makes them soft. 

188 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 189 

I never add them till just before I serve the salad. There, 
that's fine! Do you want to fix the parsley to garnish the 
ham? Ham looks so much better with parsley that I never 
fail to garnish it. I have' nasturtiums for the center of the 
table, and we'll garnish the salad with them, too." 

"It will be a festive little meal. What else can I do while 
you're baking the tea cakes ?" 

"You can make the iced tea, Alice. You do everything so 
easily and deftly that I love to watch you. And you have 
never cooked at all until lately, have you?" 

"No, but I really like it. Wouldn't it be a joke if I should 
become very domestic?" 

"Well, your fate is pointing in that direction ! Time is 
swiftly passing, and in a few short weeks — Alice, shall I call 
off the announcement luncheon?" 

"Oh, no, no, Bettina ! Let fate do her worst ! I'm re- 
signed." 

Supper that night consisted of : 

Cold Sliced Ham Beet Salad 

Bread Butter 

Tea Cakes Apple Sauce 

Iced Tea 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Beet Salad (Four portions) 

I C-cold boiled beets cut in i hard-cooked egg, diced 

^-inch cubes 1/3 C-diced cucumber 

1/3 C-cold boiled potatoes, cubed y 2 t-salt 

1/3 C-diced celery Salad dressing 

Mix the beets, potatoes, celery, egg, cucumber and salt very 
lightly together with a fork. Mix with salad dressing. Serve 
in a bowl garnished with nasturtium leaves and flowers. 

"Lightning" Tea Cakes (Twelve cakes) 

iy 2 C-flour 1/3 t-salt 

24 C-granulated or 3 T-butter (melted) 

powdered sugar 1 egg 

2 t-baking powder x / 2 C-milk 



190 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Sift and mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and 
salt. Make a "well" in the center of the mixture and pour in 
the melted butter, egg, milk and vanilla. Stir all together and 
beat vigorously for two minutes. Fill well buttered muffin 
pans half full of the mixture and bake fifteen minutes in a 
moderate oven. 



CHAPTER LVI 

RUTH AND BETTINA MAKE PREPARATIONS 

U/^H, Bettina, aren't the butterflies darling?" exclaimed 
v-/ Ruth, looking once more at the table display of her 
work. "And with everything ready to begin in the morning, 
won't things be easy for us both ? What shall I do next ?" 

"Not a thing, Ruth dear. You've worked too hard all this 
afternoon, I'm afraid. Now we're going to sit down to a good 
hot dinner, and tell Bob all about our preparations." 

"M — m ! Something smells good !" said Ruth. "I've been 
so busy with all these cunning things that I haven't even 
thought of eating. But now that you mention it, I'll admit 
that I have a fine healthy appetite." 

"Well, dinner is almost ready, and Bob will be here any 
minute. It's all in the oven except the corn : meat loaf, sweet 
potatoes and apricot cobbler." 

"Oh, how good it sounds ! More sensible than all our fluffy 
dishes for the announcement luncheon. But then, I do love 
fluffy things. I'm sure Alice will like it, and all the others, 
too. Makes me 'most wish I'd kept my engagement a secret, 
and announced it with ceremony as Alice is doing. But I 
couldn't, somehow." 

"No, you couldn't, Ruth, and neither could Fred. He'd give 
it away if you didn't. So I guess there's no use wishing you 
had kept it. Anyhow, you just suit me as you are. You've 
been such a dear to help with the luncheon ! Goodness, there's 
Bob now !" 

The dinner consisted of : 

191 



192 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Beef Loaf Sweet Potatoes 

Corn on the Cob 

Bread Butter 

Apricot Cobbler 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Beef Loaf (Three portions) 

I lb. beef ground ]/ 2 t-salt 

54 lb. salt pork, ground % t-pepper 

% t-onion salt */& C-tomato 

1/3 C-fresh bread crumbs % C-water 

1 egg 1 T-fat drippings 

Mix the ground beef and salt pork, add the onion salt, fresh 
crumbs, egg, salt, pepper and tomato. Mix thoroughly. Shape 
into a loaf which will fit into a small buttered pan. Add the 
water and pour fat drippings over the top. (Bacon fat is 
good.) Cover the pan, and allow to cook in the oven one- 
half hour. Uncover the loaf, basting frequently, and brown it. 
This will take fifteen or twenty minutes. Serve hot. More 
water may be added while cooking if necessary. 

Sweet Potatoes (Three portions) 
3 potatoes H t-salt 
Peel the potatoes, salt them with one-fourth a teaspoon of 
salt in each potato, and place them in the pan with the meat. 
This gives the potatoes a good flavor. 

Bettina's Apricot Cobbler (Three portions) 

1 C-cooked and sweetened 1/3 t-salt 

apricots 2 T-butter 

1 T-flour 1/3 C-milk 

y 2 t-cinnamon 1/3 C-sugar 

1 C-flour y 2 C-water 

2 t-baking powder y 2 t-vanilla 

Mix the apricots, one tablespoon flour and cinnamon. Mix 
and sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the 
butter with a knife. Add the milk until a soft dough is formed. 
Place the apricot mixture in a baking-dish and the dough on 
top of the apricots. Cook the water and sugar together for 
three minutes. Add the vanilla. When the cobbler has baked 
fifteen minutes pour syrup over it. Bake ten minutes more in 
a moderate oven. 



CHAPTER LVII 
A RAINBOW ANNOUNCEMENT LUNCHEON 



Cf/^vH, Bettina, how lovely!" cried the ten guests in a 

\-J chorus, as Ruth and Bettina ushered them into the 
softly lighted dining-room. Not one had had even a glimpse 
of the luncheon table before, for Ruth had been entertaining 
them on the porch while Bettina put on the finishing touches. 
It all seemed a burst of soft rainbow colors. "What is it?" 
cried someone. "How did you ever get the rainbow effect ?" 

"Let's not examine it too closely," said Bettina. "You know 
a rainbow after all is nothing but drops of water with the sun 
shining through, and maybe my rainbow table has a prosy 
explanation, too." 

From the low mass of variegated garden flowers in the 
center — pink, yellow, lavender, orange, blue, and as many oth- 
ers as the girls could find — ran strips of soft tulle in rainbow 
colors. The strips were attached at the outer end to the dainty 
butterflies which perched lightly on the tulle covered candy 
cups. These candy cups held pink, lavender and green Jordan 
almond candies. More butterflies in all sizes and colors hov- 
ered among the flowers. Upon the plain white name cards, 
little butterflies had been outlined in black and decorated in 
butterfly colors. Ruth and Bettina had cut with the scissors 
around this outline and then, when it had been cut almost away, 
had folded back the butterfly so that it stood up on the card, 
as ready for flight as its brothers and sisters. 

"Aren't they cunning?" exclaimed Barbara, taking her but- 
terfly from her favor cup. "Goodness, it's attached to some- 

193 



194 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

thing !" Pulling gently by the rainbow tulle to which the but- 
terfly had been pasted, she drew forth from the greenery in 
the center a little golden bag. It was in reality a little fat bag 
of soft yellow silk tied with gold cord and holding something 
that, seen through the mesh, appeared to be — gold ? 

The other girls, in great excitement, drew forth their little 
bags. 

"Rice !" declared Mary, "though it looks yellow !" 

"It's the bag of gold at the foot of the rainbow !" exclaimed 
Ruth, with flushed cheeks. "Discovered by " 

"Harry Harrison and Alice!" cried the girls, laughing al- 
most hysterically. For one small card which read, "Discov- 
ered by" and the two names, in gold letters, was tied to the 
little bag by the gold cord. 

"Alice, how did you ever manage to keep it a secret ?" asked 
someone. 

"Well, it would have been harder if you had all known 
Harry, but you see, we haven't been with the crowd much 
lately, have we ? Now admit it ! You haven't even missed 
me!" 

"But you're more of a butterfly than any of the rest of us. 
And the limits of the old crowd don't always bound your 
flutterings." 

"I'm not a butterfly any more," said Alice. "I suppose I'll 
have a butterfly wedding (Harry will detest it, but he'll have 
to give in that once), but after that I expect to be as domestic 
as Bettina here, though not such a success at it, probably. 
Aren't these orange baskets the prettiest things ?" 

The girls, in their excitement, had almost forgotten to eat, 
but now they looked down at their plates. Fruit cups in orange 
baskets, with handles of millinery wire twisted with pink, 
green, yellow and violet tulle, added to the rainbow effect. 
The baskets were placed on paper doilies on tea plates, and 
were artistically lined with mint leaves. 

"It looks too pretty to eat," said Dorothy. 

"Ruth will feel hurt if you don't like it, but I know you 
will," said Bettina. "She prepared this course, and made most 
of the table decorations, too." 



With Bettina s Best Recipes 195 

"And didn't you wish that you were announcing something 
yourself, Ruth?" asked Mary. "Although I don't believe the 
crowd could stand two such surprises! We've known Fred 
and you so long that your engagement seems the natural thing, 
but when a perfectly strange man like Mr. Harrison happens 
by, and helps himself to one of our number — well, it certainly 
takes my breath away ! Where did you first meet him, Alice ? 
Was it love at first sight ?" 

"Love at first sight ? Bob introduced us — here, in this very 
house, and I thought — well — I thought Harry the most dis- 
agreeably serious man I'd ever had the misfortune to meet! 
And he thought me the most disagreeably frivolous girl he 
had ever seen ! So our feud began, and of course we had to 
see each other to fight it out !" 

"And then comes Bettina's rainbow luncheon to show us 
how serious the feud proved to be," laughed Barbara. "What ? 
More courses, Bettina ? This is a beautiful luncheon ! I won- 
der who'll be the next to discover the treasure at the foot of the 
rainbow ?" 

The menu consisted of : 

Fruit Cups in Orange Baskets 



Cream of Celery Soup Whipped Cream 

Salt Wafers 



Tuna Moulds Egg Sauce 

Potatoes a la Bettina 

Green Peppers Stuffed with Creamed Cauliflower 

Rolls Butter 



Head Lettuce, Russian Dressing 
Thin Sandwiches in Fancy Shapes 



Marshmallow Cream 
Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Tuna Loaf (Eight portions) 

iH C-tuna i t-lemon juice 

i C-fresh bread crumbs i t-chopped green pepper 

2 eggs (just the yolks may i t-salt 

be used) % t-paprika 



196 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly, picking the fish 
apart with a silver fork. Mould firmly in a loaf. Roll in 
flour, and place in a buttered bread pan. Dot with butter, and 
bake thirty minutes in a moderate oven. This same recipe 
may be distributed among fancy individual moulds, filled half 
full. Arrange a star-shaped piece of pimento, green pepper, 
beet or egg in the bottom of a fancy aluminum mould. An 
attractive design may be made by putting the star cut from 
any vegetable with radiating pieces of any other kind of vege- 
table of a different color. Place the design firmly on the 
fish. Set the moulds in a pan of hot water and bake until the 
mixture is firmly set. (About thirty minutes.) Remove from 
the oven, let moulds stand three minutes, and then, with the 
assistance of a knife, slip them from the pan, unmould all the 
moulds in one flat pan, and keep them hot until needed. Do 
not forget that the mould must be thoroughly buttered before 
using. When ready to serve, make a regular vegetable white 
sauce (two T-butter, 2 T-flour, 1 C-milk, *4 t-salt). When 
ready to serve and while steaming hot, add one beaten egg 
yolk. The hot sauce will cook the egg. Pour around the 
mould. 



CHAPTER LVIII 
AN EARLY CALLER 

BOB had scarcely left the house the next morning when 
Bettina was called to the door. "I couldn't resist com- 
ing !" said Alice. "The announcement party was lovely, and I 
must thank you for doing it. Aren't you tired to pieces ?" 

"No, Ruth helped me a great deal, and by the time Bob 
came home to dinner, the luncheon dishes were washed and 
put away and the house was in apple-pie order." 

"Everything tasted delicious, Bettina. Maybe it sounds al- 
together too practical for my own announcement party, but 
I'm armed with a pencil and a notebook, and I do want to 
get some of those recipes of yours !" 

"You're welcome to them all, Alice, of course. They are 
all recipes that I have used over and over again, and I'm 
sure of them." 

"What kind of soup was it ? Celery ? I thought so. Wasn't 
it hard to prepare?" 

"Why, Alice, it was canned celery soup, diluted with hot 
milk. Then I added a teaspoonful of chopped parsley and a 
teaspoonful of chopped red pepper." 

"But surely it had whipped cream in it, Bettina!" 

"Yes, I put a teaspoonful of whipped cream in the bottom 
of the bouillon cup and poured the hot soup on it, so that it 
would be well mixed." 

"Well, that accounts for it ; I thought it must be made with 
whipped cream. Oh, Bettina, everything was so pretty ! The 
tulle bows on the baskets holding the wafers and the rolls — 

197 



198 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

and the butterflies perched on them ! How did you ever think 
of it?" 

"Well, butterflies are a happy choice for decorations ! They 
can be put anywhere, and they are easy to make — at least 
Ruth says so." 

"You use paper doilies a great deal, don't you ? Aren't they 
expensive?" 

"Expensive ? Well, I wish you'd price them ! They are so 
inexpensive that I like to use them even for a very informal 
meal ; they add such a dainty touch, I .think." 

"I must write down the recipes for your tuna loaf, and green 
peppers stuffed with cauliflower, and Russian dressing — and 
oh, that wonderful kind of rainbow dessert! Bettina, what 
was that dessert?" 

"Marshmallow cream made with gelatine and cream and 
marshmallows and whites of eggs. I puzzled a long time over 
a real 'rainbow' dessert, and finally decided on marshmallow 
cream with a few variations. Come into the kitchen, where 
I keep my card index, and I'll get all the recipes for you." 

. 
BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Potato Balls (Four portions) 

4 potatoes i t-salt 
I C-crumbs 2 T-egg 

Boil potatoes of uniform size with the skins on. When cold, 
peel, roll in crumbs, to which salt has been added and then the 
beaten egg and crumbs. Deep fry in very hot fat. 

Green Peppers Stuffed with Cauliflower (Four portions) 

4 green peppers 1 C-vegetable sauce 

1 C-cooked cauliflower 2 T-crumbs 
1 T-butter, melted 

Cut a thin slice from the stem end of each large green pepper 
and remove the seeds. Parboil ten minutes, and fill with 
creamed cauliflower and buttered crumbs. Bake until the skins 
are tender, basting occasionally with butter and water. 



With Bettina s Best Recipes 199 

Marshmallow Cream (Four portions) 

2 t-granulated gelatin I t-lemon extract 

4 T-cold milk V$ lb. marshmallows, cut in 
2/3 C-sugar one-fourth cubes 

I 1/3 C-double cream 4 toasted marshmallows 

1 t-vanilla extract 4 pecans 
1 egg white well beaten 4 almonds 

Soften the gelatin in milk for five minutes, and dissolve by 
setting the dish in boiling water. Add the sugar. Allow the 
mixture to cool. When it begins to congeal, add the flavor- 
ings. Beat in the whipped cream, and continue beating until 
it is firm. Fold in the egg-white and the marshmallows cut 
in cubes. When the mixture begins to set, pile lightly in 
sherbet cups. Place one-half of a toasted marshmallow on 
the top, and arrange pecan meats and candied cherries in a 
conventional design. Set aside one hour to cool and harden. 

Bettina colored the mixture with vegetable coloring of a 
very delicate green. Then on the top she placed a teaspoonful 
of white whipped cream, then the toasted marshmallow and 
the different fruits. Bettina browned the marshmallows 
quickly in the oven, after she had cut them the desired shape. 
She used cups with handles, and decorated them with fluffy 
bows of variegated tulles. To make these bows, she took strips 
of each color desired, one inch wide, tied them together, and 
"fluffed them out." She might have gained a real rainbow 
effect by dividing the marshmallow cream (when mixed, but 
not yet firm) into three bowls, and coloring them green, laven- 
der and pink, with delicate vegetable colors. Then, having 
beaten in the whipped cream, she might have placed in each 
sherbet cup three layers, pink, lavender and green. Then, on 
the top, she might have placed the whipped cream. 



CHAPTER LIX 
RUTH COMES TO LUNCHEON 

** A ND here we are, busily planning Alice's affairs," said 

•*■ *• Bettina, "when we might be talking of yours, Ruth. 
Are you sure, sure, sure, that you don't want any parties, or 
showers, or affairs of any sort?" 

"Sure, sure, sure !" said Ruth, emphatically. "I may be 
silly, Bettina, but to me such a fuss beforehand takes some- 
thing away from the beauty of the wedding ! And then there 
are other reasons. We've had to postpone building till next 
summer, and may not be married till the house is done — you 
know that. So we'll have been engaged a long time. It seems 
to me that after a long engagement like ours, it is better to 
have a simple wedding and no parties. Alice's is happening 
just as I always expected that it would — a surprising announce- 
ment, a short engagement, and many parties, with an elaborate 
wedding as the climax! Sometimes I think that sort would 
be the kind to have — but you see, Bettina, when you're expect- 
ing to be married only once, you want to have just the kind 
that seems best to you." 

"And yours will be just right for you, Ruth," said Bettina, 
warmly. "You are you, and Fred is Fred, and I can't imagine 
either of you caring for much excitement. And when you are 
in your new house " 

"I'm going to have you over at least once a week to just 
such a dear little luncheon as this ! Or rather — as much like 
it as I can devise. Bettina, how did you have time to cook 
such good things ?" 

"Well," said Bettina, "Bob will have these same things for 

200 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 201 

dinner tonight, with the addition of some cold sliced meat. So 
now, Ruth, we have a long afternoon before us — to sew and 
talk!" 

Bettina's luncheon consisted of : 

Bettina's Mexican Salad Brown Bread 

Apricot Preserves 

Orange Cake Hot Chocolate 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Bettina's Mexican Salad (Four portions) 

i cucumber diced 2 T-green pepper, cut fine 

2 tomatoes cut in one-inch cubes 1/3 C-cottage cheese 
1 C-cut celery 1 t-salt 

l A C-cooked beets 2/3 C-salad dressing 
1 T-chopped parsley 4 lettuce leaves 

Mix all the ingredients in order given and serve on lettuce 
leaves. 

Brown Bread (Baked) (Two loaves) 

2 C-graham flour 1 t-salt 

2 C-white flour 1 C-molasses 

2 t-soda 2 C-sour milk 

Mix well the graham flour, white flour, soda and salt. Add 
the molasses and sour milk ; mix thoroughly. Pour into two 
well-buttered bread tins, and bake forty minutes in a moderate 
oven. 

Orange Cake (Sixteen pieces) 



1/3 C-butter 


V A t-salt 


1 C-sugar 

2 eggs beaten separately 
Grated rind of one orange 

3 t-baking powder 


Y\ C-orange juice 
Y A C-milk 
1 2/3 C-flour 

x /2 t-lemon extract 



Cream the butter, add the sugar and egg-yolks ; mix thor- 
oughly. Add the orange rind. Add the baking powder, salt 
and flour sifted together and then the orange juice and milk. 
Mix, and beat one minute. Add the egg-whites beaten stiffly, 
and the lemon extract. Bake in two square cake tins fitted with 
waxed paper for twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. 



202 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Orange Filling for the Cake (Sixteen portions) 

l / 2 C-sugar Grated rind of y 2 an 

3 T-flour orange 

Vs t-salt l A C-water 

i egg yolk J /i C-orange juice 
y 2 t-lemon juice 

Mix the flour, sugar and salt well ; add slowly the egg-yolk 
and the grated rind, the orange juice and water. Cook slowly 
over hot water for ten minutes, or until thick enough to spread. 
Add the lemon juice or lemon extract. Spread on one layer 
of cake. Place the other layer carefully on the top and spread 
Quick Cake Icing over the top and sides of the cake. 



OCTOBER. 

Oh, hazy month of glowing trees, 

And colors rich to charm our eyes! 

Yet — not less fair than all of these 
Are Mother's fragrant pumpkin pies! 




CHAPTER LX 



A KITCHEN SHOWER FOR ALICE 




f$T^\ID you want me for 
-■— * something, Mary ?" asked 
Alice at the door. "Mother said 
you had telephoned." 

"Come in ! Come in !" cried 
ten girls at once, while Bettina 
whispered to Ruth : "Thank 
goodness, she's come ! The muf- 
fins are all but done !" 

"What in the world!" said 
Alice. 
"A party for you !" 
"And I'm wearing my old suit !" 

"We caught you this time, but never mind. Come in, and 
take off your things." 

As soon as Alice reappeared in the living room, a small table 
was drawn up before the open fire. Two girls appeared, wear- 
ing gingham aprons and carrying overflowing market baskets. 
"This is a kitchen shower for you, Alice," Ruth explained 
somewhat ceremoniously. "But if you are willing, we will use 
the utensils in serving the luncheon and afterwards present 
them to you. May we unpack the baskets ?" 
"Do," said Alice, laughing. 

From the larger basket, Ruth removed twelve white enam- 
elled plates of different sizes (suitable for holding supplies in 
the refrigerator), and twelve cross-barred tea-towels. The 

205 



206 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

latter she passed around to be used as napkins, and Mary dis- 
tributed the plates. On the small serving table before the fire, 
a white muslin table cover was placed. As she unfolded it, 
Ruth read from the attached card : 



"If breakfast you should chance to eat 
Upon the kitchen table — 
I'll make it dainty, fair and neat 
So far as I am able." 

When the steel forks and spoons of various sizes were taken 
out and passed around, two glass measuring cups were found 
to hold loaf sugar wrapped in frilled paper. Upon one of 
these Ruth read : 

"Please eat us all, but let your sweet 
Sweet hours be duly treasured, 
For we belie the worldly eye — 

True sweetness can't be measured." 

A glass rolling-pin filled with stick candy came next, and 
its sentiments read, and meanwhile the girls had begun to read 
aloud the advice pinned upon the tea-towels, such as : 

"No matter what his whims and wishes — 
Just tell him he must wipe the dishes !" 

and 

"But if he breaks a cup or plate, 
Just throw the pieces at him straight." 

"What vindictive dish-towels!" said Alice. "They're not a 
bit sentimental !" 

When the contents had been removed and all the verses read, 
the large basket was presented to Alice, who read from its 
handle : 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 207 

"To market, to market, to buy your supplies ! 
You'll go there in person, if careful and wise." 

"I will, Mr. Basket, with you over my arm!" answered 
Alice. 

Meanwhile the girls had carried in the salad in an earthen- 
ware mixing-bowl, the muffins heaped high in a small basket 
with a dainty dustcloth over them, the coffee in a large enam- 
elled pitcher, and the "molasses puffs" wrapped in frilled 
paper in a basket suitable for holding supplies. "Bettina's 
apples" were arranged in two flat enamelled pans. All the food 
was served informally from the small table, and the merriment 
grew as the luncheon progressed. 

"I wish that all the meals Harry and I have together might 
be as jolly as this one ! I'm sure I should be glad to eat always 
from kitchen dishes, if that is what makes the fun," said 
Alice. 

At the kitchen shower, the luncheon was as follows : 

Bettina's Potato Salad Bettina's Spiced Beets 
Twin Mountain Muffins Currant Jelly- 
Molasses Puffs Bettina's Apples 
Coffee Stick Candy 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Bettina's Potato Salad (Twelve portions) 

3 C-cold boiled potatoes, diced 3 T-diced pimento 

1 C-diced celery 2 t-salt 

Yt, C-diced hard-cooked egg 1 T-chopped onion 

% C-diced sweet pickles I C-salad dressing 

12 lettuce leaves 

Mix all the ingredients in the order named. Serve the salad 
very cold on crisp lettuce leaves. 

Bettina's Spiced Beets (Twelve portions) 

5 large, cooked beets, 1 T-"C" sugar 

sliced 6 cloves 

y 2 C-vinegar 1 t-salt 

y 8 t-pepper 

Heat the vinegar, add the cloves, sugar, salt and pepper. 



208 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Pour over the beets, cut in one-third inch slices. Allow to stand 
one hour before serving. 

Molasses Puffs (Twelve portions) 

54 C-molasses i egg, well beaten 

Ya, C-sugar 2 t-ginger 

y 2 C-hot water 1 t-cinnamon 

1/3 C-butter and lard 2 t-soda 

(melted) 3 C-flour 

Mix the molasses and sugar. Add the hot water and fat. 
Beat well, add the egg and mix thoroughly. Sift the ginger, 
cinnamon, flour and soda together, and add to the rest of the 
ingredients, mixing well. Fill well-buttered muffin pans three- 
fourths full. Bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five min- 
utes. Ice with "C" sugar icing. 

Icing 

2 egg-whites beaten 2 C-"C" sugar 
stiffly Yz C-water 

y 2 t-vanilla 

Cook the sugar and water together until it "clicks" when 
a little is dropped into cold water. Pour the syrup slowly 
over the stiffly beaten egg whites. Beat vigorously until cool 
and creamy. Add the vanilla and spread on the cakes. If the 
icing gets hard before it is cool, add two tablespoons of water 
and continue beating. The secret of good icing is steady, 
constant beating. 

Bettina's Apples (Twelve portions) 

12 apples Y\ t-cinnamon 

3 C-"C" sugar y 2 t-vanilla 
2 C-water 18 marshmallows 

1 T-butter 

Wash, peel and core the apples. Place in a broad flat pan 
in which the sugar and water have been thoroughly mixed. 
Cook the apples, turning often until tender, remove from the 
syrup and place in a serving dish. Fill the center with one- 
half a marshmallow. Add the cinnamon and butter to the 
syrup and cook five minutes or until it thickens. Pour over 
and around the apples. Decorate with a marshmallow cut 
into fourths. Serve warm. 



CHAPTER LXI 

A RAINY NIGHT MEAL 

ffTXrHY, Bob, I thought you'd be miles away by this 
» V time!" cried Bettina, as Bob came into the house at 
the usual time one evening. 

"They called off our trip on account of the weather. And 
I supposed you'd be at your mother's !" 

"It was raining so that I decided to build a cozy little fire 
in the fireplace and stay at home." 

"Well, I'm glad you're here ! I was expecting to come home 
to a cold, dark house, and this is much more cheerful." 

"And I expected not to see you till midnight, so I'm well 
suited too! But, Bobby, you mustn't complain if I give you 
a 'pick-up meal.' I expected to eat only a lunch myself." 

"I don't care what you give me, just so it's hot. My walk 
through the rain has given me an appetite. I'll help you get 
supper and wash the dishes, Bettina, and then afterward we'll 
pop corn and toast marshmallows by the fire. What do you 
say?" 

"Fine, Bob ! I cooked some celery today — just a little — 
and I think I'll fix 'celery au gratin' for you. The cooky-jar 
is full of rocks " 

"A full cooky-jar ! Bettina, that ought to be the symbol of 
our happy home. May it always be full !" 

"You're altogether too oratorical for a staid married man, 
Bob. Well, as I was saying, here is apple sauce, and I'll soon 
have some emergency biscuit stirred up. Then with scrambled 

eggs " 

209 



210 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Hurry, Bettina ! My appetite grows with every dish you 
mention !" 

They had a meal of : 



Scrambled Eggs Celery au Gratin 

Emergency Biscuit Fresh Apple Sauce 

Rocks Coffee 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Scrambled Eggs (Two portions) 

3 eggs yi t-salt 
5 T-milk % t-paprika 
i T-butter 

Beat the eggs slightly ; add milk, salt and paprika. Melt 
the butter in a frying pan or omelet pan. When hot, add the 
egg mixture, and cook slowly, scraping from bottom and sides 
of the pan when mixture first sets. Cook until creamy, or 
longer if preferred. If desired, the egg may be constantly 
"scrambled" with a fork while cooking. Turn into a hot dish 
and serve at once. 



Celery au Gratin (Two portions) 

i C-cooked diced celery ]/ 2 C-milk and celery stock 
i T-butter 3 T-grated cheese 

i T-flour l /% t-paprika 

*4 t-salt 

Cook the celery in a small amount of water at a low tem- 
perature, as too fast boiling makes it tough. Simmer until 
tender. 

Melt the butter, add the flour and blend well. Add the 
milk and stock, pepper and salt. Add the cheese. Allow to 
cook until it is the consistency of a thin vegetable white sauce. 
Add the celery. Place in a hot oven for fifteen minutes. 

(Bettina uses a part of the water in which the celery is 
simmered to make up the cup of combined milk and celery 
stock. The remainder of the celery stock she saves for soup.) 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 211 

Rocks (Two dozen) 

i l / 2 C-brown sugar *4 t-salt 
2/3 C-butter 2 l / 2 C-flour 

2 eggs 1 t-soda 

1 t-cinnamon i]/ 2 C-chopped nut meats 

% t-ground cloves and raisins 

1 t-vanilla 

Cream the butter, add the sugar, and cream the mixture. 
Add the eggs, well beaten, and the remaining dry ingredients 
(except nuts and raisins) sifted together. Mix well. Add the 
nut meats and chopped raisins, and vanilla. The mixture 
should be very stiff. Drop from a spoon onto flat buttered 
pans or preferably onto a buttered baking sheet. Bake about 
twelve minutes in a moderate oven. 

(Bettina keeps rocks in a stone jar, and finds that they keep 
well, and are really better when a day old.) 



CHAPTER LXII 

ALICE GIVES A LUNCHEON 

tfT^HESE are the first baking powder biscuits I have ever 
-*- made for company," said Alice, "but I knew that I 
must begin some time. Mother has gone out to spend the day ; 
I persuaded her that my efforts to serve a luncheon would 
upset her nervous system completely. Just think, girls ! You 
are at my mercy — for I have prepared this humble repast 
with my own useless hands !" 

"Shame on you, Alice ! Don't pretend to be so humble. 
You do everything so easily that I'll not be surprised to see 
you papering your own house and acting as your own plumber 
and doing every other hard thing. A useless butterfly like 
you who turns out to be so competent after all is the despair 
of all us plodders who have always plodded and always will !" 
And Ruth sighed. 

"Never mind, Ruthie," said Bettina. "I've eaten a mighty 
fine luncheon that you cooked yourself — four or five courses, 
if I haven't forgotten !" 

"Yes, and I worried every minute during that day !" 

"We all do at first, except maybe Alice !" 

"Why worry?" said Alice. "(Seems to me I've heard that 
expression before.) You girls won't die if the biscuits do 
fail — I'll give you bread. Harry and I are going to laugh at 
our own mistakes — and enjoy them. Isn't that a good philos- 
ophy? But, girls, to get down to biscuits. I want to ask 
you — one and all — collectively and individually, to be in my 
wedding party. With the addition of Sister, who isn't here. 
She and Bettina will be the matrons of honor. Will you?" 

212 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 213 

"Will we !" they all cried with enthusiasm. 
The luncheon menu was as follows: 

Salmon Salad 

Green Beans Butter Sauce 

Baking-powder Biscuits 

Watermelon Pickles 

Cream Puffs Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Salmon Salad (Six portions) 

I C-salmon i t-salt 

i C-diced celery 3 hard-cooked eggs, cut fine 

Y\ C-sweet pickles, cut fine i C-salad dressing 

Break the salmon apart carefully with a silver fork, add 
the diced celery, sweet pickles, salt and hard-cooked eggs. 
Mix together well, and add the salad dressing. Arrange on 
lettuce leaves in a salad bowl, garnish with hard-cooked eggs 
to represent daisies, and pickles cut in strips. Serve very 
cold. (To represent daisies, cut the whites of each hard- 
cooked egg in six long petals. Arrange these on the salad. 
Cut the yolks in half, and place in the center — round side 
out. Arrange the pickle to represent stem and leaves.) 

Green Beans, Butter Sauce (Six portions) 

2 C-green beans I t-salt 

(canned) x /\ t-paprika 

i T-water 3 T-butter 

Remove beans from the can and rinse with cold water. Add 
water, salt, paprika and butter. Cook over a moderate fire for 
three minutes. Serve. 

Cream Puffs (Twelve Puffs) 

1 C-boiling Y\ t-salt 
water 1 C-flour 

y 2 C-butter 3 eggs 

Place the water and butter in a sauce pan. Heat to the 
boiling point, then add the flour, all at once, and stir till smooth. 
Cook till the paste comes away from the sides of the pan. (A 



214 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

very short time.) Remove from fire, and when cold, add the 
unbeaten eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each 
egg is added. (The mixture should be stiff enough to hold 
its shape without spreading.) Chill the paste by placing in 
the ice-box and then drop by tablespoonsful on a buttered 
sheet. Bake thirty-five minutes in a hot oven. When cold, 
make an opening in the side of each and fill with cream 
filling. 

Cream Filling (Twelve portions) 



i C-milk 


i T-flour 


Yi C-sugar 


i egg 


y A t-salt 


i t-butter 


4 T-cornstarch 


y 2 t-vanilla 



Mix the sugar, salt, cornstarch and flour. Gradually add the 
milk and egg. Cook until very thick, in a double boiler. Add 
the butter and vanilla. Beat one minute. Cool before using. 



CHAPTER LXIII 
MOTORING WITH THE DIXONS 

ff'VTOT through dinner yet?" exclaimed the Dixons at 

-*• ^ the door. "May we sit down and wait ? It's a beau- 
tiful evening, and we've come to get you to take a long drive 
with us." 

"Fine," said Bob. "Come out to the dining-room and talk 
till we're through." 

"And then I'll help Bettina clear off the table," said Char- 
lotte. "Well, people, it looks like a good dinner, and Sher- 
lock Holmes deduces, moreover, that you had roast lamb 
yesterday for your Sunday dinner." 

"You might also deduce that we had baked potatoes, from 
which these creamed ones are made," laughed Bettina. "Noth- 
ing else to guess at, except that part of a cabbage made cold 
slaw yesterday and escalloped cabbage today. And my des- 
sert, while simple, has no secret past," she added as she re- 
moved the first course. "A plain and simple custard, that's 
all.", 

"Suits me," said Bob, heartily, "especially when it's cold 
like this." 

"By the way, Bettina," said Charlotte, "did you ever get rid 
of those black ants you were telling me about?" 

"Yes, I've never seen one since." 

"Well, you know how worried I was about the little red 
ones that bothered me. Aunt Isabel, in a letter, gave me a 
remedy that has worked like magic." 

"Aunt Isabel has her uses, after all," teased Frank. 

215 



216 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"I should say she has ! She knows all about housekeeping, 
from A to Z ! Her remedy sounds queer, but I can vouch 
for its efficacy, so if anyone ever asks you what to do for red 
ants, you tell them this, Bettina. I took some covers from 
baking powder cans, and some Mason jar covers, and some 
pie tins, and chalked the sides well with common school crayon. 
Then I set them on the pantry shelves to hold dishes of what- 
ever kinds of food the ants liked. The ants never climbed 
over those chalked covers and soon they had all disappeared. 
I don't have to use the chalked tins any more, but if I ever 
see a red ant in my pantry again, I'll get out the chalk." 

"Couldn't you make a heavy chalk mark on the shelf paper 
around the dish of food?" asked Bob. 

"I tried that, but it didn't do any good. But the other way 
worked beautifully." 

"I'm glad to know about it," said Bettina. "Well, Bob, are 
you ready? It will take only a few minutes to carry out the 
dishes and pile them up. I'm sorry we've kept you people 
waiting." 

For dinner that night they had: 

Cold Sliced Lamb Creamed Potatoes 

Chili Sauce Escalloped Cabbage 

Bread Butter 

Baked Custard 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Escalloped Cabbage (Two portions) 

I C-cooked cabbage Ya t-salt 
I T-butter l / 2 C-milk 

i T-flour 2 T-fresh bread crumbs 

I T-melted butter 

Melt the butter, add the flour and salt, and mix well. Slowly 
pour over the milk and cook until creamy. Add the cabbage. 
Pour into a buttered baking dish. Add bread crumbs to 
melted butter, and place the buttered crumbs on the cabbage. 
Bake in a moderate oven for fifteen minutes, or until the 
crumbs are browned. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 217 

Chili Sauce (One and one-half pints) 

12 large, ripe tomatoes 2 T-salt 
3 green peppers 2 T-sugar 

2 onions 1 T-ground cinnamon 

3 C-vinegar 

Peel the tomatoes and onions, and chop separately very 
fine. Chop the pepper also, and add the salt, sugar and cinna- 
mon. Mix all the ingredients together and add the vinegar. 
Cook one and one-half hours over a moderate fire, stirring 
sufficiently to prevent sticking. Bottle, and when cool, seal 
with paraffin. 

Cup Custard (Three portions) 

2 eggs % t-salt 

2 C-milk A few gratings of 

4 T-sugar nutmeg 

% t-vanilla 

Beat the eggs slightly, add the sugar and milk slowly. Add 
salt and flavoring. Stir well. Pour into well-buttered cups. 
Sprinkle the nutmeg gratings on the top. Set the cups in a 
pan of hot water and bake in a moderate oven until a knife 
comes out clean upon piercing the custard (about thirty-five 
minutes). Do not allow the water in the pan to boil. Serve 
the custard cold, removing from the cups just before ready to 
serve. The custards may be served in cups. 



CHAPTER LXIV 
RUTH MAKES BAKING POWDER BISCUITS 

ff/^H, Ruth!" called Bettina from her door to Ruth, who 

^^ was walking past. "Come in and stay to dinner !" 

"My dear, I'd love to, but " 

"I'm going to have baking powder biscuits, and I remember 
that you were longing to learn how to make them." 

"Oh, Bettina! Would you really show me? I'll simply 
have to come, then. I hesitated because Aunt Martha is here, 
but I know she'll excuse me for one evening. What time is 
it? Five? I'll take these packages home and be back in fif- 
teen minutes !" 

When Ruth returned she found Bettina in her kitchen with 
all of the ingredients for the biscuits set out on the table. 

"Perhaps two cups of flour will make too many for three 
people," she said, "but Bob has a good-sized appetite these 
crisp fall days, and he's fond of biscuits with jelly. Now, 
Ruth, you can get to work ! Sift the flour, baking powder 
and salt together, and then cut the lard in this way with this 
knife. . . . Fine! Now add the milk very slowly — perhaps 
it will take a little more than two-thirds of a cup, it all depends 
on the flour. There ! Now pat the dough into shape on this 
floured board, and then you can cut the biscuits out with this 
little cutter. Yes, about three-fourths of an inch thick. Ruth, 
those look fine ! We'll wait a little while to bake them, they're 
better perfectly fresh. Set them out in the cold, there, until 
I have fixed the macaroni, and they can pop into the oven at 
the same time." 

"That was so easy, Bettina. I do hope those biscuits will 
be good !" 

218 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 219 

The dinner consisted of : 

Lamb Chops Macaroni and Cheese 

Sliced Tomatoes 

Baking Powder Biscuits Jelly 

Apple Tapioca Pudding Cream 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Macaroni and Cheese (Three portions) 

Yz C-macaroni, broken in pieces 4 T-cheese, cut in small pieces 

I qt. water i l / 2 C-milk 

1 t-salt y 2 t-salt 

2 T-butter % t-paprika 

3 T-flour 

Cook the macaroni in the boiling salted water until tender. 
(About fifteen minutes.) Drain and rinse thoroughly with 
cold water. Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and pepper. 
Gradually add the milk and cheese. Cook three minutes. Add 
the macaroni. Mix well, and pour into a well-buttered baking 
dish. Place in a moderate oven and cook twenty minutes. 

Baking-powder Biscuits (Fifteen biscuits) 

2 C-flour y 2 t-salt 

4 t-baking powder 3 T-lard 
2/3 C-milk 

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt, and cut in the fat 
with a knife. Slowly add the milk. (More or less may be 
required, as it depends on the flour.) Pat into shape three r 
fourths of an inch thick. Cut with a cutter, place side by side 
on a tin pan. Bake in a hot oven twelve to fifteen minutes. 

Apple Tapioca (Three portions) 

6 T-pearl tapioca 3 T-sugar 

54 C-cold water 1 C-sweetened apple 
i l A C-boiling water sauce 

1/3 t-salt y 2 t-vanilla 

Soak the pearl tapioca in the cold water for ten minutes 
in the upper part of the double boiler. Add the boiling water, 
salt and sugar. Cook in the double boiler until transparent. 
Add one cup of apple sauce and the vanilla. Mix well. Serve 
either hot or cold. 



CHAPTER LXV 
PLANS FOR THE WEDDING 

**/^\H, Bob, I can hardly wait to tell you all of Alice's 

V-^ wonderful plans," said Bettina. 

"Don't wait, then. (Say, these are my favorite potatoes, 
all right!) Well, what about the wedding? All the gowns 
are being made, I suppose?" 

"Yes, indeed. You know the four bridesmaids are to wear 
lavender maline over lavender taffeta, very fluffy and short, — 
can you picture them in your mind, Bob?' 

"Not exactly, but then, go on." 

"Well, they're nearly finished. I saw them today, and 
they're lovely. The girls are to carry lavender maline muffs, 
too — the round kind with fluffy bows at each end, and little 
pink rosebuds around the hand, you know. Then a corsage 
bouquet of violets with a pink rose in the center will be pinned 
on each muff. The bridesmaids will also wear lavender maline 
hats, with fluffy tarn o' shanter crowns and pink rosebuds 
around them." 

"Is that what you'll wear?" 

"No, Lillian and I are the matrons of honor, and we will be 
all in white, with white muffs, and corsage bouquets of pink 
roses on them. Won't that be lovely? I don't know yet 
whether Lillian's little Elizabeth, who will scatter rose petals 
from a fluffy long-handled basket, is to wear pink or white. 
Oh, I wish you might have seen the girls this afternoon ! We 
tried on our dresses and planned the hats and muffs. I shall 

220 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 221 

begin my muff this evening ; won't that be exciting ?" 
For dinner that night they had : 

Pork Chops Bettina's Potatoes 

Date Bread Butter 

Head Lettuce French Dressing 

Chocolate Sponge Cake 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Bettina's Potatoes (Two portions) 

I C-cold cooked potatoes diced I T-pimento, cut up 
i T-butter I piece of soft cheese — a i-inch 

\y 2 T-flour cube 



Melt the butter, add the flour, cheese and salt. Mix well, 
and add the milk gradually. Cook until thick and creamy. 
Add the pimento and potatoes. Serve hot. (Bob considers 
this dish superfine.) 

Date Nut Bread (Twelve pieces) 

I C-graham flour 4 T-nut meats 

1 C-white flour 3 T-chopped dates 

y 2 C-"C" sugar 3 t-baking powder 

1 t-salt 1 C-milk 

Mix the ingredients in the order given. Place in a well- 
buttered bread pan, and bake in a moderate oven for thirty- 
five minutes. 

Chocolate Sponge Cake (Fourteen cakes) 

5 T-butter % t-cloves 

4 T-cocoa 1 C-flour 

1 egg 3 t-baking powder 

% C-sugar y 2 C-cold water 

1 t-cinnamon z / 2 t-vanilla 

Cream the butter, add the sugar. Stir in the egg and beat 
well. Add the cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, cocoa, flour, 
vanilla and water. Beat vigorously for two minutes. Bake 
in well-buttered gem pans for eighteen minutes. Serve warm 
if desired. 



CHAPTER LXVI 
A GUEST TO A DINNER OF LEFT-OVERS 

** A HA, I've found you out!" Bettina heard a laughing 

■* *• voice shout as she hurried up the steps. 

"Why, Jack, when did you come to town?" 

"This afternoon. Went to Bob's office the very first thing, 
and he insisted on bringing me home with him to dinner. I 
told him it might 'put you out/ but he spent the time it took 
to come home assuring me that you were always waiting for 
company — kept a light ever burning in the window for them 
and all that. He said that I'd see, — that you'd be on the door- 
step waiting for us !" 

"And after all that — you weren't here !" said Bob reproach- 
fully. 

"I'm just as sorry as I can be not to live up to Bob's picture 
of me," said Bettina. "I generally am waiting for Bob, — 
almost on the doorstep if not quite. But this afternoon I've 
been to a shower for Alice, — do you remember Alice, Jack?" 

"Very well. The gay, dark-eyed one. You don't mean to 
say that she's found a man who's lively enough to suit her?" 

"Well, she seems to be suited, all right. But I must fly into 
an apron if you boys are to get any dinner within a half-hour. 
Jack, you'll have to pardon me if after all of Bob's eloquence 
I give you a meal of left-overs " 

"Don't apologize to a bachelor, Bettina. He probably won't 
know left-overs from the real thing," said Bob. 

"Bachelors are said to be the most critical of all," she an- 
swered. "But I'll do my little best to please." 

That night Bettina served: 

222 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 223 

Roast Beef Pie 

Bread Butter 

Sliced Tomatoes with Salad Dressing 

Marble Cake Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Roast Beef Pie (Three portions) 
2 C-chopped cold roast beef i C-flour 

i C-gravy 2 t-baking powder 

1 C-cold diced potatoes (cooked) 2 t-lard 

2 T-chopped onion x /% t-salt 

6 T-milk 

Mix the beef, gravy, potato and onion. Place in a shallow 
buttered baking dish. Make a biscuit dough by cutting the 
lard into the flour, which has been sifted with the baking 
powder, and salt, and gradually adding the milk. Pat the 
dough into shape and arrange carefully on top of the meat. 
Make holes in the top to allow the steam to escape. Bake in 
a moderate oven twenty minutes. 

Marble Cake (Fourteen slices) 
1 C-sugar y 2 C-butter 

Cream together and divide into two parts, half for light and 
half for dark. 

Dark Part 

To one half add: 
54 C-molasses 1 t-baking powder 
y 2 C-milk 1 t-powdered cinnamon 

2 egg-yolks x / 2 t-powdered cloves 

1 C-flour Y^ t-grated nutmeg 

y 2 t-vanilla 

Mix this together thoroughly and set aside while the light 
part is being mixed. 

Light Part 

To the other half of the butter and sugar add: 

y 2 C-milk y 2 t-vanilla 

1 C-flour Whites of two eggs 

1 t-baking powder beaten stiff 

Put large spoonfuls of light and dark batter, alternating, in 
a loaf cake pan well fitted with waxed paper, until the pan is 
two-thirds full. Bake thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven. 



CHAPTER LXVII 

A HANDKERCHIEF SHOWER 

f*TT7HAT a cunning table!" exclaimed four girls in vari- 
» » ous words and ways. Ruth and Bettina smiled hap- 
pily to each other, for they, too, had admired the low bowl 
of purple and yellow pansies in the center, and the tiny indi- 
vidual vases for a few pansies at each place. The dainty 
doilies were also attractive, and Ruth had darkened the room 
and lit the small yellow candles on the table. 

"But Bettina helped with the souffle and the gold hearts," 
she said gallantly. "Did you see her disappear a short time 
ago ? She was baking the cakes. When she suggested refresh- 
ments that should be made just before they were served, I 
was frightened. But when she offered to bake the things, 
you may be sure I was delighted." 

At this moment a small figure appeared in the doorway. 
"Weady, Cousin Wuth?" 

"Yes, dear." 

In popped little Marjorie, Ruth's cousin, carrying a huge 
bouquet of handkerchiefs folded like white roses, fastened 
somehow to long stems with green leaves attached, tied with 
streaming yellow satin ribbon. Making a low bow to Alice, 
she recited in a baby voice : 

"A handkerchief posie to carry each day. 
We trust they will not come amiss, 
In fact, we are sure that no other bouquet 
Was ever so useful as this !" 

"Thank you, you darling !" said Alice, receiving the gift with 
delight. 

224 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 225 

Ruth served: 

Apricot Souffle Whipped Cream 

Gold Hearts 

Salted Peanuts Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Apricot Souffle (Soo-Flay) "Lightened with Air" (Six portions) 

54 lb. dried apricots % t-salt 

l / 2 C-sugar 3 eggs 

I t-lemon extract or i i t-baking powder 
t-lemon juice Y\ t-vanilla 

6 candied cherries 

Wash the dried apricots and soak for three hours in suffi- 
cient water to cover them. Cook slowly until tender (about 
ten minutes) in the same water in which they were soaked. 
Press through a colander, add the sugar and cook until very 
thick, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add salt and 
extract. Allow to cool. Beat the tgg whites until very stiff, 
add the baking-powder, apricots and vanilla. Stir just 
enough to mix. Pour into well buttered individual tin or 
aluminum moulds until two-thirds full. Place the moulds in 
a pan of hot water and bake thirty-five minutes in a slow oven. 
Turn off the fire and allow the pans to remain in a warm 
place so that they will not fall. When slightly cool, remove 
carefully and serve as quickly as possible. Place whipped 
cream and a candied cherry on the top. 

Whipped Cream (Six portions) 

*4 C-heavy cream % t-vanilla 
i t-sugar 3 drops of lemon extract 

Beat the cream until thick, add the sugar, vanilla and lemon 
extract. Place in a cool place until used. 

Gold Hearts (Twelve Hearts) 

4 T-butter % C-milk 
Yz C-sugar 7/ 8 C-flour 
3 egg-yolks i t-lemon extract 
i T-water I t-baking-oowder 

% t-salt 



226 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Cream the butter, add the sugar, and mix well. Add the 
egg yolks, beaten well, and the water, milk, flour, baking- 
powder, lemon extract and salt. Beat for two minutes. Pour 
into a large flat pan prepared with waxed paper. The batter 
should be three-fourths of an inch thick in the pan. Bake 
twelve minutes in a moderate oven. Remove the paper, and 
cut when cool with a heart-shaped cooky cutter. Wet the 
cutter with water before using, as this assures even edges. 
Keep in a moist place until ready to serve. 

Salted Almonds (Six portions) 

J4 lb. almonds (shelled) i t-salt 
I qt. boiling water 3 T-olive oil 

Allow the almonds to stand in boiling water in a covered 
utensil for fifteen minutes. Rinse off with hot water and 
place in a colander. Remove the skins. Place oil in a frying- 
pan when hot, add nuts. Stir constantly over a moderate fire 
for fifteen minutes. Pour into a clean cloth. Rub off any 
oil which has remained on the almonds. Sprinkle salt over 
the nuts while warm. When thoroughly cooled, place the 
almonds in a covered tin can until ready to serve. 



CHAPTER LXVIII 
JUST THE TWO OF THEM 

ffTT seems good to be alone this evening, doesn't it, 3et- 

■■■ tina?" said Bob, as they sat down to dinner. "Or are 
you growing so accustomed to gaiety lately that a dinner for 
two is a bore?" 

"Bob !" said Bettina reproachfully. "If I thought you really 
believed that I was ever bored by a dinner for the two of 
us, — well, I'd never be in a wedding party again ! Alice likes 
excitement, and I suppose that next week will be very gay, but 
after the wedding I hope that you and I can have a quiet 
winter, with just invitations enough to keep us from becoming 
too stupid." 

"But tell me what the wedding will be like. Is it all planned 
down to the last detail? I suppose it is, although Harry 
doesn't seem to have any idea what it is to be." 

"Poor Harry, he seems to be left out of most of the showers 
and parties so far." 

"Don't pity him; he wouldn't go if he could. I'm just 
wondering what they'll do after the wedding. Will Alice 
go and Harry stay at home ? Or, will he be obliging and force 
himself to go, too?" 

"I don't know, I'm sure. Alice is so full of life that I don't 
see how she can settle down and never go anywhere, as Harry 
would have her. But time will tell. Perhaps they'll compro- 
mise. Meanwhile, we must plan some sort of a shower or 
prenuptial party that Harry can enjoy, too. One with the men 
included, I mean. Of course. I know he hates parties, but I 

227 



228 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

think he would really like a very jolly informal one with just 
a few friends!" 

The dinner for two consisted of : 

Cold Sliced Lamb Baked Potatoes 

Creamed Carrots and Peas 

Bread Butter 

Apple Dumplings 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Creamed Carrots and Peas (Three portions) 

y 2 C-cooked, diced y 2 t-salt 

carrots i T-butter 

Yz C-peas i T-flour 

y 2 C-milk 

Melt the butter, add the flour and salt, gradually add the 
milk. Cook two minutes. Add the peas and carrots. Serve 
very hot. 

Apple Dumpling (Three portions) 



y 2 C-flour 


i T-lard 


i t-baking powder 


2 T-milk 


% t-salt 


2 apples 


4 T-sugar 


y 2 t-cinnamon 



Mix the flour, baking-powder and salt, cut in the lard with 
a knife. Add the liquid, mixing to a soft dough. Roll on a 
well floured board to one-fourth of an inch in thickness. 
Wash, pare and quarter the apples. Sprinkle with sugar and 
cinnamon. Cut the dough in five inch squares ; place two 
quarters of apple in the center of a square ; moisten the edges 
of the dough with water and bring the four corners together 
around the apple. Place in a tin pan and bake in a moderate 
oven until the apples are soft. (About thirty minutes.) Serve 
warm with cream. 



CHAPTER LXIX 

A LUNCHEON IN THE COUNTRY 

ff/^\H, Charlotte, I've just come from the loveliest lunch- 
_j^ eon," said Bettina, coming face to face with Mrs. 
Dixon in front of her own home. 

"You have? Another for Alice?" 

"No, this was in the country — on the interurban, at Cousin 
Kate's. Frances, her daughter, who was married last spring, 
has come home on a visit, and Cousin Kate was entertaining 
for her." 

"Tell me about it !" 

"Oh, it was just an informal luncheon, but I couldn't help 
thinking how delicious everything was, and at the same time 
inexpensive. In fact, I wrote down several of Cousin Kate's 
recipes after the guests had gone, and I'm sure that there 
aren't many such inexpensive luncheons that are also so good." 

"You must let me have some of the recipes." 

"Of course I will. Come in now, and copy them." 

"I can't possibly, Bettina. As it is, I'm afraid that Frank 
will be home before I am. It's almost six o'clock now." 

"Is it? Then I must hurry in and start dinner; I want to 
make some muffins. I hate to have Bob eat a cold dinner 
just because I've been out in the afternoon ; in fact, I usually 
spend more time than usual in the morning fixing some dessert 
that he especially likes, if I'm to be out in the afternoon. 
Good-bye, Charlotte !" 

"Good-bye, dear !" 

The luncheon menu was as follows : 

229 



230 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Oyster Cocktail in Pepper Cases 

Cream of Celery Soup Croutons 

Cheese Timbales Creamed Peas 

Baked Apples 

Baking-Powder Biscuit 

Green Bean Salad Salted Wafers 

Lemon Sherbet Devil's Food White Icing 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Oyster Cocktail in Pepper Cases (Six portions) 

6 green peppers I T-lemon juice 

i pint oysters i T-horseradish 

5 T-tomato catsup l / 2 t-salt 
x /2 t-tobasco sauce 

Cut the stem end from the sweet green peppers. Remove 
the seeds and allow to stand in iced water. Pick over the 
oysters to remove any shells, and surround with chipped ice 
until ready to serve. Mix the catsup, lemon juiCe, horse 
radish, salt and tobasco sauce. Fill each pepper with four 
oysters, and put on tablespoon of the mixture on the top. 
Serve very cold. 

Cheese Timbales (Six portions) 

i T-butter *4 t-paprika 

i T-flour Y\ C-fresh, soft bread crumbs 

y 2 C-milk Y\ C-grated American cheese 

y 2 t-salt i egg 

Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and paprika. Mix well, 
gradually add the milk, cheese and bread crumbs. Cook three 
minutes, and then stir in the egg, well beaten. Butter six 
timbale moulds well. Place the cups in a pan of hot water 
and cook fifteen minutes in a moderate oven. Allow to stand 
three minutes, and remove from the moulds. Serve hot with 
creamed peas. 

Bettina's Green String Bean Salad (Six portions) 

i C-cooked green beans i t-salt 

% C-cut celery % t-paprika 

Y\ C-pimento, cut fine x / 2 C-salad dressing 

I hard-cooked egg, diced 6 pieces of lettuce 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 231 

Mix thoroughly the beans, celery, pimento, egg, salt and 
paprika. Add the salad dressing and serve on a piece of crisp 
lettuce. 

Devil's Food Cake (Twenty-four pieces) 

2 C-brown sugar 3 squares chocolate 

1 C-milk 2 C-flour 
2/3 C-butter 1 t-soda 

2 eggs 1 t-vanilla 

Cream the butter, add one cup sugar. Mix egg yolks, the 
other cup sugar, one-half cup milk and chocolate; cook two 
minutes, stirring constantly. When cool, add this to the first 
mixture. Add the rest of the milk, vanilla, the flour and soda 
sifted together. Beat two minutes. Add stiffly beaten egg 
whites. Fill two tin pans prepared with waxed paper, bake 
in a moderate oven twenty-five minutes. When cool, ice with 
white icing. 



CHAPTER LXX 
A "PAIR SHOWER" FOR ALICE 

WHEN Bettina called the girls into the dining-room after 
several hours spent in hemming dish towels for Alice, 
they exclaimed that the time had passed so quickly. The 
table was set for twelve, and the chair at the right of the 
hostess was gaily decorated with white ribbon and white paper 
flowers. 

"Oh, for me ?" cried Alice. "How important I feel !" 
As soon as the girls were seated, Ruth rose and placed be- 
fore the guest of honor a large wicker basket heaped high 
with packages of all shapes and sizes, each wrapped in white 
tissue paper and tied with white ribbon. A card hung from 
the handle of the basket. "I'll read it aloud !" laughed Alice. 

"Dear Alice, we have tried to choose 
Some gifts for you that come by twos. 

A few, perhaps, you'll often use, 

While some may comfort and amuse, 

If you should chance to get the blues, 

When household cares your mind confuse. 

"This basket, which our blessing bears, 

Besides the gifts that come in pairs, 
Our friendship and our love declares. 

'Twill share your troubles and your cares 
And hold the hose that Harry wears. 

So keep them free from holes and tears." 

"Goodness !" cried Alice. "The thought of my future cares 

232 



With Bettina s Best Recipes 233 

frightens me! But now I must open all the packages!" 
She discovered a salt and pepper shaker, a pair of guest 
towels, a pair of hose, a sugar bowl and a creamer, and many 
other gifts in pairs. It was a long time before the girls could 
calm down sufficiently to eat the luncheon that Bettina, with 
Ruth's assistance, set before them. 
Bettina served: 

Bettina's Tuna Salad 

Date Bread Sandwiches Salted Peanuts 

Maple Ice Cream White Cake with Maple Icing 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Tuna Salad (Twelve portions) 

2 C-tuna fish 4 T-pimento, cut fine 

2 C-diced celery 2 t-salt 

3 hard-cooked eggs, diced y 2 t-paprika 

3 T-green pepper, chopped fine 1 T-lemon juice 

4 T-sweet pickle, chopped fine 1 C-salad dressing 

Mix the tuna, celery, eggs, sweet pickle, pepper, salt and 
paprika with a silver fork. (Care should always be taken not 
to mash salads.) Add the salad dressing; more than a cup 
may be necessary. Keep very cold, and serve attractively on 
a lettuce leaf. 

Salad Dressing (Twelve portions) 

4 egg-yolks 1 t-mustard 

y 2 C-vinegar 4 T-sugar 

y 2 C-water ^ t-paprika 

1 t-salt 2 T-flour 

Beat the egg yolks, add the vinegar. Mix the salt, mustard, 
sugar, paprika and flour thoroughly. • Slowly add the water, 
taking care not to let the mixture get lumpy. Pour into the 
yolks and vinegar. Cook slowly, stirring constantly until thick 
and creamy. Thin with sour cream or whipped cream. 

Date Bread (Eighteen Sandwiches) 

1 C-graham flour 2 t-salt 

2 C-white flour 1/3 pound of dates, cut fine 

3 t-baking powder iy 2 C-milk 
1/3 C-"C" sugar 1 tgg 



234 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Mix the flour, baking-powder, sugar, salt and dates ground 
fine. Beat the egg with a fork, and add the milk. Pour 
slowly into the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly and pour 
into two well-buttered bread pans. Allow to stand fifteen 
minutes and bake forty minutes in a moderate oven. When 
cold, cut very thin and spread with butter for sandwiches. 
Date bread is better for sandwiches when one day old. 

Maple Icing 

V/z C-maple sugar 2/3 C-milk 

1Y2 C-granulated sugar 1 t-butter 
Y% t-cream of tartar 

Cook all the ingredients together until a soft ball is formed 
when a little is dropped into cold water. Beat until creamy 
enough to pour on the cake. 

Salted Peanuts (Twelve portions) 

2/3 lb. peanuts (shelled) 4 T-olive oil 
2 t-salt 

Cover the peanuts with boiling water; allow to stand for 
fifteen minutes. Place one-third of the amount in a strainer 
(allowing remainder to stay in water) and remove the skins. 
Prepare all the peanuts the same way. Place two tablespoons 
of oil in the frying pan, when hot add the peanuts; stir con- 
stantly with a fork and cook over a moderate fire fifteen min- 
utes. When brown remove the nuts, add another tablespoon 
of oil and another third of the peanuts, continue until all the 
nuts are cooked. Add the salt. Lard may be used in place 
of oil, but the latter makes the nuts taste and brown better. 



CHAPTER LXXI 
BOB MAKES POPCORN BALLS 

f */^\H, I forgot to tell you, Bettina," said Bob at the dinner 

^-^ table, "the Dixons are coming over this evening. 
Frank asked me if we would be at home." 

"I'm so glad they're coming," said Bettina. "I haven't seen 
Charlotte for several weeks ; I have been so busy with the 
affairs we girls have been giving for Alice. But I wish I had 
known this afternoon that they were coming. I'd like to 
celebrate with a little supper, but I haven't a single thing in 
the house that is suitable." 

"There's the cider that Uncle John brought us," suggested 
Bob. 

"Yes," said Bettina, "we might have cider. But what else ?" 

"I'll tell you," said Bob, "I'll make some popcorn balls. I've 
made them before, and I know exactly how." 

"I'll help," said Bettina. 

"No, I won't need you at all ; I'm the chef." 

"Well, Bobbie, at least you'll let me look on. May I be 
washing the dishes at the same time ?" 

"Yes, I'll permit that. These are going to be champion 
popcorn balls, I can tell you, Bettina — as big as pumpkins !" 

"We'll serve them in that large flat wicker basket, and I'm 
sure they'll look and taste delicious. But we must hurry, 
Bob ; it's after seven now !" 

For dinner that night they had: 

Broiled Ham Mashed Potatoes 

Chili Sauce Creamed Onions Hot Scones 

Prune Blanc Mange with Cream 

235 



236 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Broiled Ham (Four portions) 

i lb. ham 2 C-milk 

Soak a one-half inch slice of ham in one cup of lukewarm 
milk for half an hour. Drain and wipe dry. Place in a hot 
tin pan and cook for five minutes directly under the flame, 
turning frequently to prevent burning. 

Scones (Fourteen scones) 

2 C-flour 1 egg 

4 t-baking powder2/3 C-milk 
1/3 t-salt 1 T-"C" sugar 

2 T-lard y 2 t-cinnamon 

Mix the flour, baking-powder and salt. Cut in the lard with 
a knife, add all but one teaspoonful of the beaten egg, then 
add the milk gradually. Mix with a knife into a soft dough. 
Pat into a square shape one-half inch thick. Brush over the 
top with one teaspoonful of egg and sprinkle with the sugar 
and cinnamon (mixed thoroughly). Cut into one and one- 
half inch squares. Place in a tin pan and bake twelve minutes 
in a hot oven. 

Prune Blanc Mange (Four portions) 



2 T-cornstarch 


Ya t-salt 


2 T-sugar 


1/2 C-cooked, cut prunes 


4 T-cold milk 


y 2 t-lemon extract 


2/3 C-hot milk 


y 2 t-vanilla 



Mix the cornstarch, sugar and salt, and add the cold milk 
slowly. Gradually add the hot milk. Cook in a double boiler 
for twenty minutes. Add the prunes, lemon extract and vanilla. 
Beat well, and serve cold with cream. 



CHAPTER LXXII 

AND WHERE WAS THE DINNER? 

^TT ELLO !" called Bob at the door one evening. 
•1 ■*■ No answer. 

"Hello, Bettina!" he called again. Again the dark house 
gave forth no reply. 

Feeling, it must be admitted, a little out of harmony with a 
world that allowed weary and hungry husbands to come home 
to dark and empty houses when the clock said plainly that it 
was a quarter after six, Bob made his way to the kitchen. 
Perhaps Bettina had left his dinner there for him; perhaps 
she had been called away, or perhaps, even, she had rushed 
out on some errand after dinner preparations were begun. 
The kitchen, however, was so immaculate as to seem distinctly 
forbidding to a hungry man whose appetite was growing 
keener every minute. And he had been thinking all the way 
home that a hot dinner would taste so good ! 

At that moment a clamor of voices at the door aroused him. 

"You poor old Bob !" cried Bettina, kissing him twice before 
Fred and Ruth without the least embarrassment. "Have you 
waited long?" 

"It seemed hours," admitted Bob. 

"Ruth and I have been to a tea for Alice. Fred came for 
her there, and I persuaded them to come home to dinner with 
me. I'll give you each something to do while I stir up a little 
cottage pudding. Then dinner will be ready in half an hour." 

"Half an hour?" cried Bob. "But Bettina, where is the 
dinner ? I didn't see any !" 

"In the fireless cooker, you crazy boy ! Are you 'most 
starved ?" 

237 



238 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Well," said Bob, "that cooker was the neatest, stiffest- 
looking thing in the kitchen! I didn't dream that it was 
busily cooking a dinner. Say, I'll be glad to see a hot meal 
again !" 

The dinner consisted of : 

Round Steak with Vegetables 

Dutch Cheese 

Bread Plum Butter 

Cottage Pudding Vanilla Sauce 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Round Steak with Vegetables (Six portions) 

2 lbs. round steak 2 T-flour 
6 potatoes 2 T-lard 

6 carrots 2 t-salt 

6 onions % t-paprika 

Y^ C-water 

Pound the flour into the round steak with the edge of a 
small plate. This breaks the fibers of the meat, making it 
more tender. Wash and peel the potatoes, slicing in half 
lengthwise. Scrape the carrots, and cut into one-half inch 
slices lengthwise. Wash the onions and remove their outside 
skins. Sprinkle the vegetables with one and a half level tea- 
spoons of salt, and the paprika. Add the water, and place in 
the bottom of the large tireless cooker utensil. Place the lard 
in a frying pan, and when hot, add the meat. Brown thor- 
oughly on each side. Salt the meat with one-half level tea- 
spoon of salt, and place in the kettle on top of the vegetables. 
Place the heated disks of the tireless cooker over and under 
the utensil, and cook at least one hour in the cooker. 

Cottage Pudding (Six portions) 



y 2 C-flour 


i egg 


3 t-baking powder 


y. C-milk 


V A t-salt 


y 2 t-vanilla 



y 2 C-sugar 3 T-melted butter 

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the egg, 
milk and vanilla, and beat one minute. Add the melted butter, 
and pour into a well buttered tin pan. Bake twenty minutes 
in a moderate oven. Serve warm with vanilla sauce. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 239 

Vanilla Sauce (Six portions) 

2/3 C-sugar y 2 t-lemon extract 

3 T-flour Y A t-salt 

1 t-vanilla i J / 2 C-water 
1 t-butter 

Mix the sugar, flour and salt thoroughly. Add the water 
slowly. Boil two minutes. Add the vanilla, lemon extract, 
and butter. Beat one minute and serve. If too thick, more 
water may be added. 



CHAPTER LXXIII 
ALICE TELLS HER TROUBLES 

£f A ND the minute I caught a glimpse of you, Bettina, at 

■**■ the tea this afternoon, I thought, 'Oh, if Betty would 
only ask me to go home with her to a sensible homelike din- 
ner, with no one there but herself and Bob ' " 

"Not even Harry, Alice?" 

"No, not even Harry ! I'm so sick and tired of teas and 
dressmakers and wedding gowns and bridesmaids that I'm 
tired even of Harry, too ! Almost." 

"But, Alice, then why do it all ? Why have all this fuss and 
feathers?" And Bettina's knife, with which she was cutting 
bread, came down with a click of vehemence. "It has always 
seemed silly to me — all the worry and bother " 

"But what can I do now, Bettina? I've started, and I'll 
have to go through with it ! Why, even now, I ought to be 
home for dinner — mother has several guests — but I phoned 
her that I had a headache and was coming here, where I 
could be quiet. And I do have a headache — and no appetite, 
and " 

"Just wait till you taste this nice brown meat that I have 
in the oven, Alice ! The trouble with you is that you've been 
eating silly party food for such a long time. And tonight 
you are to have a sensible dinner with plain people." 

"Plain people ? Who calls me plain ?" interrupted Bob, com- 
ing in like a tornado. "Hello, Alice ! How can you spare 
any time from all these festivities I hear about?" 

For dinner that night they had : 

240 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 241 

Rolled Flank of Beef with Bread Dressing 

Browned Potatoes Hot Slaw 

Prune Pudding Cream 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Rolled Flank of Beef (Four portions) 

1 lb. round steak one inch thick i t-salt 

2 T-flour 2 one-inch cubes of suet 

Wipe the meat, trim the edges, pound on both sides with 
the edge of a plate to break the tendon. Place the dressing 
(given below) on the steak, roll, and tie with a cord. Roll 
in the flour and salt. Place in a small dripping pan, put the 
suet on the top of the meat, add enough water to cover the 
bottom of the pan, and bake in a moderate oven for fifty 
minutes. Baste frequently. 

Bread Dressing 

I C-soft bread crumos y& t-celery salt 

i T-melted butter ]/ 2 t-salt 

i t-chopped parsley Y% t-pepper 

y 2 t-chopped onion 2 T-water 

Mix all the ingredients in the order named, stirring lightly 
with a fork. Place in shape on the meat. Care should be 
taken not to have the dressing soggy or heavy. 

Prune Pudding (Four portions) 

i C-cooked, seeded and i t-vanilla 

chopped prunes y 2 t-lemon extract 

Y\ C-sugar y 2 C-cracker crumbs 

Yi C-nut meats, cut fine 1 t-baking powder 

y 2 C-milk x /z t-salt 

Mix all the ingredients in the order named. Pour into a 
well-buttered shallow earthenware dish. Place the dish in 
a pan of hot water and bake twenty-five minutes in a moderate 
oven, or until the mixture is firm. Serve warm. Individual 
amounts may be made in moulds. 



CHAPTER LXXIV 
THE DIXONS COME TO DINNER 

ff/^HARLOTTE, you must have Bettina tell you how to 

^^ cook fish this way," said Frank. 

"It's the Bechamel sauce on it that you like, I suspect," said 
Bettina. "And it isn't at all hard to make. I serve it with 
so many things. We like it with carrots " 

"Oh, is it the very same sauce that you serve with carrots ?" 
said Charlotte. "I can make it, Frank. I'll have it for din- 
ner one of these days, with halibut, just as Bettina has served 
it tonight." 

"There is only one thing to think about especially in making 
it," said Bettina. "After you have beaten the egg slightly, add 
a very little of the hot liquid to it, and then pour the mixture 
into the rest. Then cook it a short time, not long, as a sauce 
made with egg sometimes separates." 

"I'll remember," said Charlotte. "You do have such good 
meals, Bettina. How do you manage it? Sometimes I can 
think of the best things to cook, and other days I don't seem 
to have a bit of imagination !" 

"I plan my menu all out a week, and sometimes two weeks, 
ahead," said Bettina. "It is really quite a complicated process, 
as I want to have a variety, as well as inexpensive things that 
are on the market. Of course, I may change my plans in 
many details, but I keep to the general outline. Planning the 
meals seems simple, but it really requires a lot of thinking 
sometimes. Excuse me while I bring in the dessert. Bob, will 
you please help me take the plates?" 

The menu that night consisted of : 

242 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 243 

Sauted Halibut Steak Bechamel Sauce 

Potato Cubes Butter Sauce 

Sliced Cucumbers and Onions with Vinegar 

Rolls Butter 

Prune Whip Whipped Cream 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Bechamel Sauce (Four portions) 

2 T-butter 1/3 t-salt 
2 T-flour Y% t-paprika 

iy 2 C-milk 1 egg-yolk 

Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and pepper, mix well, 
and gradually add the milk. Cook until it thickens. (Not as 
thick as white sauce for vegetables.) Add the egg yolk. 
Serve immediately. 

To add egg yolk to the hot liquid, beat the egg slightly, add 
a small portion of the hot liquid slowly and pour it all into 
the remainder of the hot liquid. Cook only a short time, as 
the mixture may separate if cooked longer. 

Potato Cubes (Four portions) 

2 C-raw potatoes cut x / 2 t-salt 

in 24-inch cubes 4 C-boiling water 

Add the salt to the boiling water, add the potatoes and boil 
till tender. (About ten minutes.) Drain and shake over the 
fire for a moment. Add the sauce, and serve. 

Butter Sauce (Four portions) 

2 T-butter 1 t-chopped green pepper 

1 T-chopped parsley %. t-paprika 

Mix together, heat and add to the potatoes. 

Prune Whip (Four portions) 

1/3 lb. prunes 1 T-lemon juice 
3 egg-whites T / 2 C-sugar 

Pick over and wash the prunes, then soak for several hours 
in cold water, enough to cover. Cook slowly until soft, about 



244 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

fifteen minutes. Rub through a strainer. Add sugar and 
lemon juice and cook five minutes ; the mixture should be the 
consistency of marmalade. 

Beat the whites until stiff, add the prunes when cold, pile 
lightly into a buttered baking dish and bake twenty minutes 
in a slow oven. Serve with cream. 



CHAPTER LXXV 
THE WEDDING INVITATIONS 

BOB and Bettina had scarcely sat down to dinner one crisp 
cold evening, when they heard laughing voices at the 
door. "It sounds like Alice," said Bettina. "What can she 
be up to now ? And Harry, too !" 

Bob had already thrown open the door, and there, as Bettina 
had guessed, were Alice and Harry, each carrying a large box. 

"We've come to deliver your invitation to the wedding," said 
Alice. "It may be unconventional, but it's fun. The rest we 
are going down to mail — that is, if we don't get frightened at 
the idea, and pitch the boxes in the river instead." 

"If that's the way you feel," said Harry firmly, "I'll carry 
your box myself." 

"Please don't, Harry ! Just think, I may never have an- 
other opportunity of mailing the invitations to my own wed- 
ding, so don't deprive me of the privilege." 

"Stay to dinner won't you?" said Bettina. "We had really 
planned on having Uncle John and Aunt Mary this evening, 
but they didn't come to town after all. So I am sure we have 
plenty, even to apple dumplings for dessert." 

"Harry had asked me to take dinner with him down town," 
said Alice, "by way of celebrating when these invitations were 
mailed. But perhaps we might stay here instead, since this 
was the very place in which we met first! Harry, I believe 
sentiment demands that we accept Bettina's invitation." 

"I must broil another steak," said Bettina, "but that will 
take only a few minutes. I'm so glad you can stay." 

"But we'll have to leave immediately after dinner," said 

245 



246 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Alice, "for these invitations simply must be mailed this eve- 
ning." 

That night for dinner, Bettina served : 

Beefsteak Mashed Potatoes 

Turnips 

Lettuce Bettina's Russian Salad Dressing 

Apple Dumplings and Cream 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Turnips (Four portions) 

4 turnips %. t-salt 
i T-butter % t-pepper 

Wash, pare and cut the turnips in small pieces. Cook until 
transparent and tender. Drain, mash, add the butter, salt and 
pepper, mix thoroughly and return to the fire to dry out the 
superfluous water. Serve hot with vinegar. (Never cook 
turnips until brown.) 

Head Lettuce (Four portions) 
i head lettuce 

Remove the outer leaves and core of the lettuce. Clean 
thoroughly. Place very wet in a towel, wrap well and lay 
directly on the ice. Allow to stand one hour before serving to 
allow the lettuce to get very cold and crisp. 

Bettina's Russian Dressing (Four portions) 

l / 2 C-salad dressing 2 T-chili sauce 
1 T-chopped green pepper 

Mix the ingredients in the order named. Shake thoroughly 
in a glass jar. Serve cold. 

Apple Dumplings (Four portions) 

1 C-flour 1/3 C-water 

2 t-baking powder 4 apples 
Y\ t-salt Yz C-sugar 

2 T-lard 1 t-cinnamon 

Mix thoroughly the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut 
in the lard with a knife, and then add the water, mixing to a 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 247 

soft dough. Roll on a well-floured board to one-fourth of an 
inch in thickness. Wipe and pare the apples, and cut them 
in quarters. 

Cut the dough in four square pieces. Place four quarters 
of apple in the center of each piece of dough. Sprinkle with 
sugar and cinnamon. Moisten the edges of the dough with 
water. Bring the four corners of each piece up around the 
apple, pressing tightly together. Pierce with a fork to allow 
the escape of steam. Place each dumpling upside down on a 
floured tin, and bake thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven. 
Serve warm with cream. 



CHAPTER LXXVI 

HALLOWE'EN PREPARATIONS 

f f' I A HERE it is again!" said Bob to Ruth, who was dining 
-*- with them. "And now it's gone !" 

"I feel the same old Hallowe'en thrill that I used to, years 
ago," said Bettina, "when I turn around suddenly and see a 
jack-o'-lantern grinning in at the window ! Don't you love 
them?" 

"Those are the Stewart children," said Bob. "They're just 
hoping that I'll come out and chase them away ! There's no 
fun for them in having us like it too well! You girls ought 
to give at least an imitation of a shriek apiece. You don't 
have ladylike nerves at all !" 

"Bob, that jack-o'-lantern reminds me that we have a piece 
of work laid out for you — making the jack-o'-lanterns for a 
Hallowe'en party we have planned. Will you do it?" 

"Will I ?" said Bob. "Indeed I will ! I haven't made one 
for years and years ! Not since I was a boy !" 

"Years and years and years and years !" said Ruth, laugh- 
ing. "Well, this party is in honor of Harry, so you mustn't 
tell him anything about it — not even that we're giving it. And 
Bob, I believe Fred would help make the jack-o'-lanterns." 

"See here, Ruth," said Bob, "you want Fred to get half the 
credit for the artistic job I'm going to do. Well, for your 
sake, I may let him help a little, but I'm bossing the work, I 
can tell you. Why, I'm particular." 

That evening's menu consisted of : 

248 



With Bettina's Best Recipes Z49 

Breaded Lamb Chops Baked Potatoes 

Creamed Peas 

Sliced Tomatoes Salad Dressing 

Steamed Date Pudding Lemon Sauce 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Breaded Lamb Chops (Four portions) 

4 chops J / 2 C-bread crumbs 

i egg-yolk y t-salt 
i T-water i T-butter 

Wash and look over the chops carefully to remove any 
particles of bone. Beat the egg yolk and water. Dip each 
chop into the tgg mixture, and then roll in the crumbs, to which 
the salt has been added. Place in a buttered pan, dot well 
with butter, and bake twenty-five minutes in a hot oven. 

Steamed Date Pudding 

2/3 C-soft, fresh bread crumbs 1 egg 

2/3 C-flour 2/3 C-dates, chopped fine 

2 t-baking powder y t-salt 

2/3 C-fine chopped suet , 1 t-vanilla 

2/3 C-sugar 2/3 C-milk 

Mix all the ingredients in the order given. Stir well for 
two minutes, and place in a buttered mould. Steam two hours 
on the stove or in the fireless cooker. Serve hot with lemon- 
sauce. 

Lemon Sauce 

y C-sugar The juice of one lemon 

1 T-flour , y 8 t-salt 
1 C-water 1 t-butter 

Mix well the flour, sugar and salt, add the water and cook 
for one minute. Add the lemon juice and butter. Beat vigor- 
ously, and serve with the date pudding. 



CHAPTER LXXVII 

HALLOWE'EN REVELS 

"Come, on mystic Hallowe'en, 
Let us seek the dreadful scene, 
Where the witches, imps and devils, 
Elves and ghosts will hold their revels! 
1 107 Carberry Avenue. 
Seven o'clock." 

THIS was the invitation received by Harry, Alice, Fred 
and even Bob, who had an inkling of what was about to 
happen, inasmuch as 1107 Carberry Avenue happened to be his 
own address. At seven o'clock that evening Bob was no- 
where to be found. However, when four horribly disguised 
figures were ushered into the house, the witch who pointed 
the way up the stairs seemed satisfied. A few minutes later, 
the ghosts and demons having removed such garments as were 
needed only in the outer air, assembled in the weirdly lighted 
living-room. All of the electric lights were covered with yel- 
low crepe paper shades, with faces cut in them. Jack-o'- 
lanterns stood in every conceivable place, and a fire burned 
brightly in the open fireplace. 

The two witches, who were evidently the hostesses, com- 
menced a weird chant in a minor key. The male ghosts, three 
in number, immediately took up the music, if it could be so 
called, howling in loud and uncanny tones. Thereupon the 
witches beckoned the whole company with all speed to the 
dining-room. 

The table was, a mass of color and light. Potatoes, carrots 
and beets, with sticks for legs, held the lighted candles. At 
each place were individual favors, witches holding the place 
cards, and small Jack-o'-lanterns standing beside them. The 

250 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 251 

center of the table was a miniature field of pumpkins and corn- 
stalks. 

The place cards were read and the places were found. The 
guest of honor, he who sat at the right of her who was evi- 
dently "witch-in-charge," discovered the following on his card, 
and the others were equally descriptive and illuminating: 

This place is laid for one who soon 

Will marry! 
O youth bewitched by maid and moon, 

Be wary ! 
But if you can't, then make it soon, 

Dear Harry ! 

The supper, decorative as well as delicious, was all upon the 
table. Little individual pumpkin pies on paper doilies stood 
beside each place. The salad caused much delight among the 
guests, who at the invitation of the witches, had now removed 
their masks. A large red apple with a face cut on the outside, 
had been hollowed out, and the salad was within. On the top 
of the apple was a round wafer with a marshmallow upon it 
to represent a hat. The hat was further decorated with a 
"stick-up" of stick candy on one side. The apple stood on a 
leaf of lettuce, with a yellow salad dressing necktie. The 
favor boxes, which were under the witches, were filled with 
candy corn, while the popcorn balls, placed on a platter, had 
features of chocolate fudge, and bonnets of frilled paper. 

The supper menu was as follows : 

Oyster Patties Bettina's Surprise Salad 

Hallowe'en Sandwiches Pickles 

Pumpkin Pie 

Cider Doughnuts 

Jumbles Popcorn Balls 

. "Have another jumble, Harry," urged Ruth. "See, this one 
has unusual eyes and a particularly soulful expression." 

"I have already eaten so many that I fear my memory of this 
party will be a jumble of faces ! I'll see them in my sleep — 
all with that soulful expression !" 

"Another toasted marshmallow, Bettina?" asked Fred, 



2.52 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

thrusting it toward her on the end of a hat-pin. 'This candle 
is nearly burned out, so I'm afraid I can't otter you 
i :re." 

"It is really time to bob for apples." said Bettina. "Who 
ever heard of a Hallowe'en part}- without that ! And we must 
each try to bite the swinging doughnut, and then we must blind- 
fold each other and try to pin the tail on the unfortunate black 
cat. Bob, will you carry this tub into the living-room? And 
Ruth, will you remove the popcorn balls to the piano bench? 
Perhaps someone will grow hungry from the exertion of these 
games. And I know that later in the evening Alice, though a 
guest, will tell our fortunes." 

"Alice can tell my fortune by looking at her own hand.' 
Harry. "Because she holds my happiness there 

"What a sentimental sentence. Harry!" said Fred, looking 
amazed. "See. you've embarrassed us all!" 

"Well. I'm always being called cold and reserved, and I've 
'decided to turn over a new leaf." 

"Oh, Harry, don't be so foolish V said Alice, who had grown 
as red as the apples on the table. "It's time for games !" 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 
(All measurements are level) 

Oyster Patties Six portions) 

3 T-butter x ,' 2 t-salt 

4 T-flour J s t-paprika 

I C-milk : : pint of oy?:er? 

Clean the oysters by removing any shells, and drain oft the 
liquor. Melt the butter, add the flour and salt, and mix thor- 
oughly. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantlv. Cook 
until very thick. Place the oysters in a pan and heat one min- 
ute. This "plumps" them. Do not cook too long. Add the 
:;s:ers to the white sauce, and serve immediately in patty 
shells which have been freshened in a hot oven. 

Bettina's Surprise Salad (Six portions') 

6 apc.e? : : C-?!iced diced pineapple 

i green pepper, chopped fine 2 T-chopped nut meats 

'-- C-diced celery I C-salad dressing 

V2 C-seeded white grapes y 2 t-salt 

: - C-diced marshmal'. :• s 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 253 

Remove the insides of the apples, add the green pepper, 
celery, grapes, marshmallows, pineapple and nut meats mixed 
thoroughly with the salad dressing. Serve very cold. 

To Make the Hallowe'en Sandwiches 

When the bread is a day old, cut in slices one-third inch 
thick. Match in pairs. Cream the butter and spread one side. 
Place the other side on top. Press firmly. With a thimble cut 
out circles on one piece of the bread, cut nose and mouth with 
a knife. The butter showing through gives the resemblance 
to features. 

Pumpkin Pie (Eight pies) 
Crusts 

i C-flour 3 T-water 
5 T-lard y 2 t-salt 

Cut the lard into the flour and salt. Add sufficient water 
to make a stiff dough on a floured board. Roll into shape one- 
fourth inch thick. Place in tin muffin pans making individual 
pies, filling with the following mixture and baking 30 minutes 
in a moderate oven. 

Pumpkin Filling 

1V2 C-canned pumpkin y 2 t-ginger 
2/3 C-brown sugar l / 2 t-salt 

1 t-cinnamon 2 eggs 

2 C-milk 

Mix the ingredients in the order given, and fill the pie-crusts 
two-thirds full. 

Jumbles (Twenty-four jumbles) 

Yt. C-butter y 2 C-sour milk 

1 C-sugar % t-salt 
1 egg About 2 C-flour 

y t-soda Grape jelly. 

Cream the butter, add the sugar, and gradually add the Ggg, 
the sugar mixed with the sour milk, the salt, and the flour to 
make a soft dough. (One which will roll easily.) Cut into 
shape with a round cooky cutter. On the centers of one-half 
the pieces, place a spoonful of grape jelly. Make features on 
the rest, using a thimble to cut out the eyes. Press the two 
together, and bake 12 minutes in a moderate oven. 



NOVEMBER, 

Cosy fire a-burning bright y 
Cosy tables robed in white - 



Dainty dishes smoking hot, 

Home! And cold and snow forgot! 




EJ,zabBtK 



CHAPTER LXXVIII 
A FORETASTE OF WINTER 




«OAY, but it's cold today!" 
^ called Bob at the door. 
"Frost tonight all right ! I was 
glad I took my overcoat this 
morning. Have you had a fire 
all day?" 

"Yes, indeed," said Bettina, 
"and I've spent most of the af- 
ternoon cleaning my furs with 
corn meal, and fixing those new 
comforters for the sleeping 
porch, and putting away some of the summer clothing." 

"I believe we will need those new comforters tonight. How 
were you fixing them ?" 

"I was basting a white cheese-cloth edge, about twelve inches 
wide, along the width that goes at the head of the bed, you 
know. It's so easy to rip off and wash, and I like to have all 
the comforters fixed that way. I was cleaning my old furs, 
too, to cut them up. I'm planning to have a fur edge on my 
suit this winter. I don't believe you'll know the furs, the 
suit, or Bettina when you see the combination we will make to- 
gether ! Fur is the thing this year, you know." 

"Couldn't you spare me a little to transform my overcoat? 
I'd like to look different, too!" 

"Silly ! Come along to the kitchen ! There's beefsteak to- 
night (won't it taste good?) and I want you to cook it, while 
I'm getting the other things on the table. I didn't expect you 
quite so soon." 

255 



256 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

That night for dinner they had : 

Beefsteak Creamed Potatoes 

Devilled Tomatoes 

Rolls Butter 

Plum Sauce 

Bettina's Drop Cookies 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Creamed Potatoes (Two portions) 

I C-diced cooked potatoes I T-flour 

i T-green pepper, chopped fine z / 2 C-milk 
i T-butter J4 t-salt 

Melt the butter, add the flour and salt, mix well, and add the 
milk slowly. Cook until creamy, and add the potatoes and 
the chopped green pepper. Serve very hot. 

Devilled Tomatoes (Two portions) 

2 tomatoes y 2 t-mustard 

2 T-flour y 8 t-salt 
I T-lard A pinch of paprika 

% t-salt i hard-cooked egg 

i T-butter y 2 t-flour 
I T-sugar 2 T-vinegar 
i T-water 

Pee! the tomatoes, cut in half and sprinkle with flour. Place 
the lard in a frying-pan, and when hot, add the tomatoes. 
Brown nicely on both sides, and sprinkle with salt. When 
brown, place on a hot platter and pour over them the follow- 
ing sauce: Sauce — Place the butter in a pan, add the sugar, 
mustard, salt and paprika, the egg cut fine, and the flour. Mix 
well, add the vinegar and water. Heat, allow to boil one min- 
ute, and then pour over the tomatoes. (If the sauce seems too 
thick when it has boiled one minute, add a little more water.) 

Drop Cookies (Twenty-four cookies) 

1/3 C-butter y t-salt 

i C-sugar i t-vanilla 

i egg Va C-chopped raisins 

y 2 C-sour milk 2^4 C-flour 

y 2 t-soda y 2 t-baking powder 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 257 

Cream the butter, add the sugar, then the whole egg. Mix 
well. Add the sour milk and the vanilla. Mix the baking 
powder, soda and flour well, add the raisins and add to the 
first mixture. Beat well. Drop from a spoononto a buttered 
and floured pan, leaving three inches between the cookies. 
Bake fifteen minutes in a moderate oven. 



CHAPTER LXXIX 

SURPRISING ALICE AND HARRY 

f^TT^E knew you'd be here, and we've come to surprise 
» » you !" shouted Bob, Fred, Bettina and Ruth, as they 
opened the door of the new apartment which was to be the 
home of Harry and Alice. "We've brought the party with 
us !" and they held out several bulging baskets. 

"Welcome !" smiled Alice, delightedly, as she stepped down 
from the box on which she was standing to hang a soft, silky 
curtain. Harry, tall and silent, rose, hammer in hand from 
the crate he was opening, and welcomed each one in turn. 

"Bob and I came to be chaperones if you needed us," said 
Bettina, putting on a prim and disapproving look, as different 
as possible from her usual happy expression. 

"Oh, my dear !" exclaimed Alice's mother, in a shocked tone. 
"Surely you didn't imagine — but then, of course you didn't — 
because you would naturally know that I would be here." 

Alice laughed her ringing laugh. "Mother is too literal for 
any use, Bettina!" And Alice's absent-minded father looked 
up from the newspaper he was reading to ask what the joke 
was. 

"The joke, Father dear," said Alice, "is that your foolish 
daughter should be about to marry this solemn and serious 
youth!" And she turned Harry around by the shoulders till 
he faced her father. "But perhaps you hadn't heard about the 
wedding, Father. Now don't tell me you had forgotten !" 

"Forgotten? Forgotten your wedding, Alice?" said her 
mother, astonished. "Of course your father hasn't forgotten. 
Why, only yesterday he was saying that the cost of a trousseau 

258 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 259 

apparently hadn't lessened since Lillian was married. Weren't 
you, Father? It was when your new green corduroy came 

home, Alice, and I was saying " but Alice had led the girls 

off to show them over the apartment. 

Father had retired behind his newspaper and Harry was 
showing Fred and Bob his own private den whither he might 
retire from the worries of domestic life. "Only," observed 
Fred sagaciously, "since it opens off the living room, you can't 
retire very far. I predict that married life will make you 
rather a sociable person, Harry." 

Harry shrugged his shoulders, and said nothing. "Old 
bear!" cried Alice, entering the room at this point. "You 
don't need to be a sociable person ! I like you just as you are !" 
And she turned to the others. "Come to the party, please. It's 
all in the kitchen ! We've made coffee, too, and everything is 
bee-youtiful ! I love surprises!" 

The "party" consisted of : 

Apples Popcorn Balls 

Nut Cookies 

Maple Fudge Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Popcorn Balls (Eight balls) 

Y± C-light brown or "C" sugar 2 T-butter 
24 C-white sugar Y\ t-soda 

Yz C-molasses 2 qts. freshly popped corn 

y 2 C-water 2 t-salt 

1 T-vinegar 

Place in a sauce pan, the sugar, molasses, water, vinegar and 
butter. Cook without stirring until the candy forms a hard 
ball which clicks against the side of the glass when dropped 
into cold water. Add the soda, stir well and pour over the 
corn, which has been salted and placed in a large pan. Mix 
the syrup thoroughly with the corn, and when partially cool, 
moisten the hands and press the corn into balls of uniform 
size. Popcorn balls should be kept in a cool place. 



260 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Nut Cookies (Three dozen cookies) 

1/3 C-butter and lard mixed 1/3 C-chopped nut-meats 

2/3 C-"C" sugar (preferably black walnuts) 

1 egg 1 t-powdered cinnamon 
4 T-milk Y\ t-powdered cloves 

2 C-flour y<\ t-mace 

2 t-baking powder % t-nutmeg 

Cream the butter, add the sugar, and mix well. Add the 
egg and milk and then the flour, nuts, cinnamon, cloves, mace, 
nutmeg and baking powder. Place the dough on a floured 
board. Roll it out one-fourth of an inch thick and cut with a 
cooky cutter. Place on a well-buttered and floured baking 
sheet. Bake twelve minutes in a moderate oven. 

Maple Fudge (Eight portions) 

J4 lb. maple sugar % t-cream of tartar 

2 C-granulated sugar 2 T-butter 
2/3 C-milk 

Mix all the ingredients in the order named. Cook until the 
candy forms a soft ball when a little is dropped in a glass of 
cold water. Remove from the fire and let it cool. When cool, 
beat until it becomes creamy. Pour into a buttered plate. 



CHAPTER LXXX 
A DINNER FOR THE BRIDAL PARTY 

THE bridal dinner, given for the wedding party by Alice's 
parents, was truly an elaborate affair. As the young 
people, who knew each other so well, and had spent so many 
merry hours together, glanced across the softly lighted table, a 
little feeling of shyness and constraint came over them because 
of the formality of the occasion. Even Alice, usually the ring- 
leader in all their fun, was a little silent. 

"Shucks !" thought boyish Fred. "None of this in mine ! 
I'd elope first ! Wonder if Harry likes it ! (Bet he doesn't.)" 

Ruth was thinking, "Oh, how lovely ! How perfectly 
lovely ! I believe after all — as a time to remember through 

all the years " But Fred could not read her thoughts, and 

saw only the particularly happy smile that she gave him. 

"How do you like the nut cups?" Alice asked. "Bettina 
made these yellow 'mum' nut cups as a Christmas gift to me, 
and gave them to me now for this dinner! See, they just 
match the real chrysanthemums ! I'm sure I don't know 
which I like best !" 

The girls exclaimed so heartily over the nut cups that Bet- 
tina declared to herself that she would make sets for each 
of them, of different colors and kinds. These of Alice's were 
really charming. Their wire handles were wound with green 
maline and tied with a green bow. They were filled with pe- 
cans, and pink and yellow bon-bons, which were grapes cov- 
ered with colored creams. 

The place cards were tied with narrow green ribbon to little 
china slippers, cupids, *doves and hearts. Besides the yellow 

261 



262 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

chrysanthemums, which were the table decorations, there was 
for each of the girls a corsage bouquet of pink roses, and for 
each of the men a boutonniere of pink rosebuds in a tinfoil 
case. Flower pins were tucked in the maline bows of the 
bouquets as favors for the girls, while scarf pins were favors 
for the men. 

When the dinner was over, and the guests were passing into 
the living room for dancing and music, Alice slipped her arm 
through Bettina's. "The dinner was lovely ; wasn't it ?" she 
said. "I did think I was too tired to enjoy it, but my heart is 
as light as a feather now ! I am going to dance all evening till 
my last guest goes !" 

The menu was as follows : 

Grapefruit Cocktail 

Cream of Asparagus Soup Croutons 

Sauted Halibut Potato Rosettes 

Cabbage Relish in Green Pepper Cases 

Peas in Timbale Cases 

Celery 

Hot Rolls Currant Jelly 

Vegetable Salad Cheese Wafers 

Brick Ice Cream Individual Cakes 

Coffee 

Pecans Bon-Bons 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

RECIPES OF THE BRIDAL DINNER 

Grapefruit Cocktail (Twelve portions) 

6 grapefruit 12 T-powdered sugar 
12 cherries 

Cut the grapefruit in halves crosswise. Half a grapefruit 
is one service. Remove all the seeds. Insert a sharp-pointed 
knife between the outside skin or shell and the pulp, and cut 
out around the inside. Cut the skin away from each section 
of the pulp. Insert the knife under the core and cut free from 
the shell, lift out the core and membranes in one piece, leaving 
the pulp. Sprinkle each grapefruit half with one tablespoon 
of powdered sugar. Garnish with a maraschino cherry in the 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 263 

center and a mint leaf on each side. Serve very cold on a 
paper doily with some green rose leaves under the grapefruit. 

Cream of Asparagus Soup (Twelve portions) 

4 C-strained asparagus pulp 9 T-flour 

5 C-milk 2 t-salt 

7 T-butter %. t-paprika 

Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and paprika. Mix well, 
and gradually add the milk and asparagus. Cook until slightly 
thick. (About two minutes.) Serve hot. 

Croutons (Twelve portions) 

8 slices of bread 2 T-butter 

Cut the bread into one-third inch cubes, add the butter 
melted, and salt. Mix well and brown in a moderate oven, 
stirring occasionally to permit the bread to brown evenly. 



CHAPTER LXXXI 
REHEARSING THE CEREMONY 

ALICE'S wedding day dawned clear and cold, and Bet- 
tina realized with a start all that was before her. She 
had as house guests two school friends of Alice's, gay and 
charming girls who were, nevertheless, somewhat difficult visi- 
tors, as the little bungalow was soon strewn with their belong- 
ings and as they were completely indifferent to such a thing as 
punctuality. 

"S'pose Geraldine'll be in to borrow my mirror in a minute," 
grumbled Bob. "How long'll they stay?" 

" 'Till tomorrow morning, dear. Hurry ! You know we 
have to rehearse at ten o'clock." 

"Ushers and all?" 

"Of course. You wouldn't know what to do without a re- 
hearsal, would you?" 

"I suppose not. But what if I can't get away from the 
office?" 

"You'll have to, Bob, for Harry's sake. Surely you can 
manage it for once." 

Bob went on grumbling about the foolishness of "these 
fancy weddings" until Bettina consoled him with the promise 
of waffles for breakfast. 

"And we'll simply have to call Geraldine and Lenore," said 
she. "They are going to the rehearsal with me, and I must 
have my morning's work done before we start. You see I 
shall have them here for luncheon, and we won't be back 'till 
noon." 

Bettina, with some effort, managed to reach the church with 

264 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 265 

her guests shortly after ten o'clock. The nervous and excited 
wedding party stood about in chattering groups, and when 
summoned, went through their parts with many mistakes and 
giggles. 

"How can it ever seem beautiful and solemn," thought Bet- 
tina in despair, "when we all do it so stupidly ? I'm afraid we 
are going to spoil the wedding!" 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

MORE BRIDAL DINNER RECIPES 

Sauted Halibut (Twelve portions) 

2*4 lb. halibut steak 4 T-egg-yolks 
Y\ t-pepper 1 T-water 

1 t-salt 1^2 C-cracker crumbs 

1 T-lemon juice 4 T-fat 
% t-onion juice 2 T-melted butter 

Mix the pepper, lemon juice, onion juice, salt, butter, egg and 
water. Wipe the halibut with a damp cloth and then cut into 
strips two and a half by four inches. Dip each strip into 
the above mixture and roll in cracker crumbs. Place the fat 
in a frying-pan, and when hot add the halibut. Brown thor- 
oughly on each side and garnish with lemon and parsley. 

Potato Rosettes (Twelve portions) 

3 C-mashed potatoes 1 t-salt 
3 T-milk % t-paprika 

2 T-butter 

Mix potatoes, milk, salt, paprika and butter. Beat one min- 
ute. Place the hot potato mixture in a pastry bag and press 
rosettes on a flat buttered tin pan three inches apart. Set in 
a moderate oven twenty minutes to brown. Remove from the 
pan with a spatula. 

Cabbage Relish in Green Pepper Cases (Twelve portions) 

12 green peppers 2/3 C-vinegar 

3 C-finely chopped cabbage 2 T-"C" sugar 
3 T-pimento, cut fine 1 t-salt 

1 green pepper, cut fine 1 t-mustard 

1 T-olive oil 



266 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Mix the mustard, oil, salt, sugar and vinegar. Add the 
green pepper, pimento and cabbage. Fill the peppers with 
this mixture. The peppers are prepared by cutting off the 
stem end, removing the seeds and washing thoroughly. 

Glazed Sweet Potatoes (Twelve portions) 

6 sweet potatoes ]/ 2 C-water 
i C-brown sugar 3 T-butter 

Wash, pare and boil the sweet potatoes. When tender, 
drain, cut in lengthwise slices one-half inch thick, and lay in 
a buttered pan. Cover with a syrup made by cooking the 
brown sugar, water and butter for two minutes. Baste fre- 
quently. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven. 



CHAPTER LXXXII 
AFTER THE WEDDING 

THE stately wedding ceremony had taken place in the big 
church, and Bettina, climbing into the automobile for 
the drive to the reception, had, for all her own part in the 
affair, only a confused memory of music, lights and faces, soft 
lavender and soft pink, and Alice and Harry murmuring their 
vows. 

"Wasn't it lovely, Bob ? Wasn't it stately and impressive ?" 

"Say, aren't you cold ?" was his prosy reply. "That church 
was too warm ; take my coat !" 

"No, indeed ; I don't need it ! Oh, wasn't it a beautiful 
wedding! Did Lillian and I walk slowly enough?" And she 
chattered on about all of the details until the house was 
reached. 

The bride and groom were already there, and gay con- 
gratulations followed from the many guests. The dining- 
room, where the dainty wedding supper was served, was elab- 
orate with palms and high baskets of roses. Tables about the 
room held six, and in the center, a large round table, deco- 
rated with a broad, low mound of violets and roses, was ar- 
ranged for the bridal party. Here also was the bride's cake, 
and the small boxes of wedding cake which the guests re- 
ceived upon leaving the room. 

When Alice cut the bride's cake, the thimble fell to Ruth, 
which occasioned much merriment, while the dime was dis- 
covered by Harry in his own piece. The ring went to Mary, 
who emphatically denied that the omen spoke truly. But 

267 



268 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

when Mary also caught Alice's bouquet of lilies-of-the-valley, 
the young people refused to listen to her protests. 

"Dear Alice, ,, said Bettina, as she helped the bride into her 
traveling suit, "may your whole life be as beautiful as your 
wedding !" 

The wedding supper consisted of : 

Chicken and Mushroom Patties Fruit Jelly- 

Hot. Rolls 
Olives Pickles 

Ice Cream in Individual Slipper Moulds 
Violet Decorated Cake # Salted Pecans 

Fancy Candy in Tiny Baskets 
Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
THE WEDDING RECIPES 

Chicken and Mushroom Filling for Patty Shells (Fifteen portions) 

2 C-cooked chicken, diced Y^ t-paprika 
i C-button mushrooms, diced 2/3 C-flour 

3 T-pimentoes, cut fine 2/3 C-chicken fat 
1 t-salt 3 C-milk 

Melt the fat, add the flour and salt ; mix thoroughly. Add 
one-half a cup of milk. Cook until thick, remove from the 
fire and heat one minute. Add one cup of milk and reheat. 
When it thickens, beat vigorously until creamy. Add the rest 
of the milk, and cook until thicker than vegetable white sauce. 
Add the chicken, mushrooms and pimentoes. Serve hot in 
patty cases. 

To prepare the cases for serving, heat until hot in a moder- 
ate oven. 

To obtain the chicken fat, cook a fat chicken slowly for a 
long time. Remove the chicken from the stock and allow the 
stock to cool. The fat will rise to the top. Use this instead of 
butter. It has a better flavor and is cheaper. 

Fruit Jelly (Fifteen portions) 

4 T-granulated gelatin 2 C-sugar 
2/3 C-cold water 1 C-white grapes, seeded 

4 C-boiling water y 2 C-diced pineapple 

2/3 C-lemon juice H C-maraschino cherries, halved 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 269 

Soak the gelatin twenty minutes in the cold water, and dis- 
solve in the boiling water, stirring till all is thoroughly dis- 
solved. Strain through a moistened cheese-cloth and add the 
sugar and the lemon juice. Place in moistened individual 
moulds or one large pan. When the mixture is slightly thick 
and cool, add the fruit, well-mixed. Set in a cold place for one 
hour. Cut in squares when desired for use. 



CHAPTER LXXXIII 
A "HAPPEN-IN" LUNCHEON 

BETTINA had finished her morning's work and was busy 
with her mending when the telephone rang. 

"Why, hello, Bob!" she answered, surprised to hear his 
voice at this time of day. 

"Bettina," said he, "could you possibly arrange to let me 
bring Carl Edwards and his wife home to luncheon? They 
blew in a few minutes ago and leave at two-thirty. We haven't 
much time, you see, and they are especially anxious to see the 
house. They are planning to build for themselves soon." 

"Why, of course, Bob," said Bettina, hesitating for the brief- 
est possible second. "It's after eleven now, but I'll be glad to 
have you bring them. Let's see — I'll give them the salad I 
had planned for tonight, but I don't know what else — but, then, 
I'll manage somehow." 

"All right, dear; that's fine. We'll be there early— a little 
after twelve." 

Bettina's "emergency shelf" was always well stocked, and 
before her conversation with Bob was over her mind had 
hastily reviewed its contents. In a very short time, her oven 
held escalloped salmon, graham gems and "quick pudding," 
and she was setting the dainty porch table. "I'm glad the 
weather is so beautiful," she said to herself, "for it is so much 
fun to have a hurry-up luncheon like this out-of-doors. Well, 
whatever the guests think, I'm sure that Bob will like my 
menu, for "quick pudding" is a favorite dessert of his, and 
he can always eat several graham gems !" 

For luncheon they had : 

270 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 271 

Escalloped Salmon Graham Gems 

Apricot Sauce 

Bettina's Vegetable Salad 

Chocolate Marshmallows 

Bettina's "Quick Pudding" 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Escalloped Salmon (Four portions) 

lYi C-salmon % t-paprika 

3 T-sweet pickles, chopped fine Y 2 t-salt 

i T-lemon juice %. C-milk 

x /2. C-cracker crumbs 2 T-fresh bread crumbs 

1 egg 1 T-melted butter 

Pick the salmon apart with a fork and add the pickles, 
lenion juice, cracker crumbs, egg, paprika, salt and milk, using 
a fork for mixing. Place in a well-buttered baking dish. 
Melt the butter, add the fresh crumbs and spread evenly over 
the top. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven. 

Graham Gems (Ten gems) 

1 C-graham flour *4 C-sugar 
1 C-white flour % t-soda 

1 t-salt 24 C-sour milk 

I egg 

Mix the graham and white flour, the salt, sugar and soda, 
add the milk and tgg. Beat two minutes. Fill well-buttered 
muffin pans one-half full. Bake twenty minutes in a moder- 
ate oven. 

Apricot Sauce (Four portions) 

% lb. dried apricots 2 C-water 
l / 2 C-sugar 

Wash the dried apricots well. Add the water and allow them 
to soak for three hours or longer. Cook very slowly in the 
same water until tender. Add the sugar, and cook three 
minutes. 

Bettina's Vegetable Salad (Four portions) 

l / 2 C-cooked peas 1 T-chopped onion 

T / 2 C-diced celery 2 hard-cooked eggs, diced 

K C-green pepper, chopped 2 t-salt 

l / 2 C-diced cooked potatoes 2/3 C-salad dressing 



272 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Mix the peas, celery, green pepper, potatoes, onion, egg and 
salt thoroughly. Add the salad dressing, and serve cold oa 
lettuce leaves. Garnish with rings of green pepper and egg 
slices. 

Bettina's "Quick Pudding" (Four portions) 

2 egg-whites, stiffly beaten 3 T-nuts, cut fine 
4 T-powdered sugar J /2 t-vanilla 

10 dates, cut fine Y% t-salt 

J4 t-baking powder 

Beat the eggs stiffly, add the nut meats, dates, vanilla, salt, 
sugar and baking powder. Place in a well-buttered tin mould 
or a pan and bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. 
Allow the mould to stand in a pan of hot water while in the 
oven. Serve hot. 



CHAPTER LXXXIV 

UNCLE JOHN A GUEST AT DINNER 

f*TT 7"ELL, well! In time for dinner; am I?" said Uncle 
W John, letting in a gust of snow-filled air as he opened 
the front door. 

"Why, Uncle John, I should say you are!" answered Bet- 
tina with delight as she removed her kitchen apron. "Do you 
smell my date buns? I believe you'll like them!" 

"Date buns? Never heard of anything so absurd in my 
whole life ! What are they ?" And then, without waiting for 
an answer, he went on, "A regular blizzard tonight, I do be- 
lieve ! I telephoned your Aunt Lucy that I wouldn't be back 
to the farm till morning, then I found a place to leave my car, 
and came up here to see if I couldn't get a bite to eat. But 
date buns ! I don't know about that ! I'm not used to any- 
thing so fancy." 

"Well, Uncle John, there's a salmon loaf baking in the oven, 
and also some lemon rice pudding, so I believe there'll be 
something you'll like." 

"Maybe !" said Uncle John, doubtfully, but with a twinkle 
in his eye that belied his words. "But let me see ! Aunt Lucy 
sent you something ; what was it ? Oh, yes, some cream !" 
And he took a glass jar from its wrappings. 

"Oh, Uncle John, how lovely !" said Bettina. "W 7 on't we 
just revel in cream ! There comes Bob now ! Get behind the 
door, Uncle John, and say 'boo' ! the way you used to do with 
me when I was a little girl!" 

That night for dinner Bettina served: 

Salmon Loaf Creamed Potatoes 

Date Buns Butter 

Cranberry Sauce 

Lemon Rice Pudding 

Coffee 

273 



274 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Salmon Loaf (Three portions) 

I C-flaked salmon y 2 t-salt 

y 2 C-fresh bread crumbs l /\. t-paprika 

2/3 C-milk 1 t-melted butter 

1 egg-yolk 1 t-flour 

Mix the salmon, bread crumbs, milk egg-yolk, salt and 
paprika. Pack down in a well-buttered pan. Pour one tea- 
spoon of melted butter over the top. Dredge with flour. Bake 
thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Serve hot or cold. 

Date Buns (Twelve Buns) 

3 C-flour 1/3 T-butter 
y 2 t-salt Y A C-milk 

1 yeast cake 1 egg 

2 T-sugar 2/3 C-dates 

Mix and sift the flour and the salt. Add the dates, which 
have been pitted and cut into small pieces. Mix with sugar 
the yeast cake (broken up). Heat the milk and add the but- 
ter. When the butter is melted, cool the milk mixture slightly, 
and add it to the yeast mixture, stirring carefully until the 
yeast is dissolved. 

Add the egg well-beaten to the milk mixture, and add this 
to the flour. Mix thoroughly and toss onto a well-floured 
board. Knead two minutes. Place in a warm place and allow 
to rise one hour. Divide into twelve pieces by cutting with a 
knife. Allow to rise ten minutes. Brush the tops with one 
tablespoon of egg to which has been added one tablespQon 
of milk. Bake twenty minutes in a hot oven. 

Lemon Rice Pudding (Three portions) 

2/3 C-cooked rice 1 T-lemon juice 

y. t-salt % C-sugar 

1 C-milk 1 T-powdered sugar 

1 egg 1 t-lemon juice 

Beat the egg-yolk, add the sugar, salt and lemon juice. Add 
the milk and the rice. Cook one minute, stirring constantly 
to prevent scorching. Pour into a well-buttered pudding dish. 
Beat the egg-white very stiff. Add the powdered sugar and 
the lemon juice. (One teaspoon.) Pile lightly on top of the 
pudding. Bake thirty minutes in a slow oven. 



i CHAPTER LXXXV 
DURING THE TEACHERS' CONVENTION 

ffOO you'll not be back until dinner time?" Bettina had 

^ said at the breakfast table to Bob's cousin, Edna, and 
her friend, Catherine. "A whole day of it ! How tired you'll 
be!" 

Edna laughed her ripply laugh that always made everyone 
else laugh, too. "Tired getting me a hat and a suit? Oh, Bet- 
tina ! That makes me feel livelier than ever !" 

Catherine looked troubled. "Now, Edna," she said, "you 
positively mustn't miss that afternoon meeting. I know it will 
be so inspiring! Remember what Professor Macy said!" 

Edna laughed again. "Catherine always quotes Professor 
Macy as if he were an oracle or a sphinx or something instead 
of a nice solemn young high school teacher who's getting a 
little bald !" 

"He isn't bald and he isn't solemn," declared Catherine with 
some spirit. 

"Forgive me, Catherine dear ! He is a lamb and a darling 
and everything else you want me to say !" 

"I want you to say? Why, Edna, aren't you ashamed!" 
said Catherine, growing very red. "Who ever heard of such 
nonsense?" 

"I love to tease you, Catherine. It's so easy ! So you won't 
help me get my hat? I want a beautiful purple one — or else 
a perky little black one. I haven't decided whether to be 
stately and gracious, or frivolous and cunning. But I do know 
that I will not look as if I were about to cram the multiplica- 
tion table into the head of some poor little innocent!" 

275 



276 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Don't worry, Edna," said Bob. "You won't look that way 
at all. In fact, I wonder that you can be serious long enough 
to impress the members of the school board when they come 
visiting." 

"She doesn't try to impress them ; she just smiles at them 
instead, and that does just as well," said Catherine. "But 
she's not so utterly frivolous as her conversation sounds. She 
wants to hear the convention addresses just as much as I do — 
and I know she'll be there this afternoon. In fact, I intend 
to save a seat for her." 

"Between you and Professor Macy?" asked Edna, inno- 
cently. "Or on his left ?" 

"Shame on you, Edna," said Bettina. "Now you girls tell 
me just what you'd like for dinner! Aren't there some spe- 
cial dishes you're hungry for?" 

"Pork tenderloin and sweet potatoes!" said Edna. "Our 
landlady never has them, and I often dream of the joy of or- 
dering such delicacies !" 

And so that evening for dinner Bettina had: 

Pork Tenderloin and Sweet Potatoes 

Baked Apples 

Bread Butter 

Cottage Pudding with Chocolate Sauce 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Pork Tenderloin and Sweet Potatoes (Four portions) 

i l / 2 lbs. pork tenderloin ^ t-pepper 

I t-salt 4 large sweet potatoes 

Wipe the tenderloins which have been prepared by cutting 
into small pieces (by the butcher). Place in a small roaster 
and put in a hot oven. When brown on each side, season with 
salt and pepper. Pare the potatoes and place in the pan with 
the meat. Baste every ten minutes with one-fourth cup of 
water if there are not sufficient drippings to baste both the 
potatoes and meat. Cook until the potatoes are done (about 
forty-five minutes). 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 277 

Baked Apples (Four portions) 

4 Jonathan apples 2 t-cinnamon 
8 T-"C" sugar 1 C-water 

y 2 t-vanilla 

Wash and core the apples. Fill each with one tablespoon of 
sugar and one-half teaspoon of cinnamon. Place in a small 
tin pan just large enough to hold them. Add the water and 
the rest of the sugar, and bake forty-five minutes in a moder- 
ate oven. Baste frequently with the syrup. After the apples 
have cooked thirty minutes, add the vanilla to the syrup. 

Bettina's Cottage Pudding (Four portions) 

Y2 C-sugar 3 T-chopped nuts 

J4 t-salt y 2 t-vanilla 

1 C-flour 1 egg 

2 t-baking powder y 2 C-milk 

3 T-melted butter 

Mix the sugar, salt, flour, baking powder and nuts. Add the 
egg and milk and mix well. Add the vanilla. Beat vigor- 
ously for two minutes, and then add the melted butter. Pour 
into well-buttered gem pans, filling each half full. Bake fif- 
teen minutes in a moderate oven. Serve with chocolate sauce. 

Chocolate Sauce (Four portions) 

Yz C-sugar Y% t-salt 
2 T-flour 1 square of chocolate 
1 C-water % t-vanilla 

Mix thoroughly the sugar, flour and salt. Add the water 
and the chocolate. Cook slowly until the chocolate is melted 
(about two minutes). Add the vanilla and serve hot. If too 
thick, add more water until the desired consistency is reached. 



CHAPTER LXXXVI 
A LUNCHEON FOR THE TEACHERS 

f * T XL stay at home and help you this morning ; may I, Bet- 

■*■ tina ?" asked Edna, looking wistfully around at Bettina's 
white kitchen. 

"No, indeed, my dear. It is such a simple little luncheon 
that I have planned that I can easily do it all alone. And you 
must go to the meeting. All I ask is that you won't forget to 
come home at noon." 

"Edna would much rather fuss around with you in this 
dear little kitchen than to go to the meetings," said Catherine, 
"but I won't let her. She is always crazy to cook and do house- 
work and things like that, but she came to this convention with 
me, and I intend to have her get the benefit of it. Do you 
hear me, you bad girl? It's almost time for us to be there. 
Go and get your things !" 

"This is the way I'm managed all the time!" complained 
Edna to Bettina. "Do you wonder that I look thin and pale ?" 

"Poor Edna !" said Bettina, smiling at her round figure and 
rosy cheeks. "Now do run along with Catherine. But don't 
forget we'll have three other guests at noon ! So wear your 
prettiest smile!" 

"And I'll help you serve !" Edna smiled back. 

That day for luncheon, Bettina had : 

Creamed Oysters on Toast 

Pear Salad Brown Bread Sandwiches 

Pecan Ice Cream Sponge Cake 

Mints Coffee 

278 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 279 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Creamed Oysters on Toast (Six portions) 

6 pieces of toast, % t-paprika 

cut circular I t-salt 

3 T-butter iy 2 C-milk 

4 T-flour 2 C-oysters 

Pick over the oysters, and drain off the liquor. Melt the 
butter, add the flour, salt and paprika, and mix thoroughly. 
Gradually add the milk, cook until thick and creamy (about 
three minutes), and add the oysters. Serve very hot on toast. 
Garnish with parsley. 

Pear Salad (Six portions) 

6 halves of pear 6 halves of walnuts 

Y 2 C-cottage cheese % t-paprika 
i T-chopped pimento 6 T-salad dressing 

i T-chopped green pepper 6 pieces of lettuce 

Arrange the pears on the lettuce leaves. Mix the cheese, 
pimento, green pepper and paprika thoroughly. Fill the half 
of the pear with the mixture. Place salad dressing over the 
mixture and lay one nut meat on top of each portion. Serve 
cold. 

Pecan Ice Cream (Ten portions) 

i qt. of cream i l / 2 T-vanilla 
$4 C-sugar y 2 C-pecan meats, cut fine 

Mix the cream, sugar and vanilla. Fill a freezer half full of 
the mixture. When half frozen add the pecan meats. Con- 
tinue freezing until stiff. Pack and allow to stand two hours 
to "ripen" before serving. 

Sponge Cake (Ten portions) 

6 egg-yolks 6 egg-whites 

i C-sugar i C-flour 

i t-lemon extract x /\ t-salt 

Beat the egg-yolks until thick and lemon colored. Add the 
sugar gradually and continue beating, using a Dover egg- 



280 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

beater. Add the extract and whites of the eggs very stiffly 
beaten. Remove the egg beater and cut and fold the flour 
which has been sifted four times, the salt having been added 
to the last sifting. Bake one hour in an unbuttered, narrow 
pan in a slow oven. 

Genuine sponge cake has no baking powder or soda in it. 
The eggs must be vigorously beaten so that the cake will rise. 
A very slow oven is necessary. Increase the heat slightly every 
fifteen minutes. 

Do not cut sponge cake; it should be broken apart with a 
fork. 



CHAPTER LXXXVII 
RUTH COMES TO LUNCHEON 

f * "DETTINA, what makes the gas stove pop like that when 

•*~* I light it? I've often wondered." 

"Why, Ruth, that's because you apply the match too soon. 
You ought to allow the gas to flow for about four seconds; 
that fills all the little holes with gas and blows out the air. 
Then light it, and it won't pop or go out. The flame ought to 
burn blue; if it burns yellow, turn it off, and adjust it again." 

"Well, I'm glad to know that. Sometimes it has been all 
right and sometimes it hasn't, and I never realized that it was 
because I applied the match too soon. I'm glad I came today." 

"I'm glad, too, but not because of instructing you, I'm not 
competent to do that in very many things, goodness knows ! 
When I called up and asked you to lunch, it was because I had 
such a longing to see what lovely things you'd be making 
today. You will have the daintiest, prettiest trousseau, Ruth !" 

"I love to embroider, so I'm getting great fun out of it. I 
tell Fred it's a treat to make pretty things and keep them all ! 
They were usually for gifts before ! Oh, lobster salad ?" 

"No, creamed lobster on toast. There, Mister Lobster, 
you're out of your can. I always hurry him out in double- 
quick time onto a plate, or into an earthen-ware dish, because 
I'm so afraid something might interrupt me, and I'd be careless 
enough to leave him in the opened can ! Though I know I 
never could be so careless. Then I never leave a metal fork 
standing in lobster or canned fish. It's a bad thing." 

"I knew about the can, but not about the fork, though I don't 
believe I ever do leave a fork or a spoon in anything like 
that." 

281 



282 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Would you prefer tea, coffee, or chocolate with these cook- 
ies for dessert?" 

"Coffee, I believe, Bettina. Aren't they cunning cookies! 
What are they ?" 

"Peanut cookies. I think they are good, and they are so 
simple to make. They are nice with afternoon tea; mother 
often serves them. There — lunch is all ready but the coffee, 
and we'll have that last." 

Luncheon consisted of : 

Creamed Lobster on Toast 

Head Lettuce French Dressing with Green Peppers 

Bread Butter 

Peanut Cookies 

Coffee 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Creamed Lobster on Toast (Two portions) 

2/3 C-lobster 2 T-flour 

2 T-butter 1 C-milk 

A few grains of y 2 t-lemon juice 

cayenne pepper 1 egg-yolk 
1/3 t-salt 3 slices of toast 

Melt the butter, add the salt, cayenne and flour. Gradually 
add the milk, cook until thick, stirring constantly unless in 
double boiler. Add the egg-yolk. Add the lobster, separated 
with a fork, and the lemon juice. Serve very hot on toast, 
garnished with parsley. 

Head Lettuce (Two portions) 
1 head lettuce 

Remove the outside leaves and the core. Soak in cold water 
with one-half teaspoon salt in it, with the head of the lettuce 
down. Cut into quarters. Serve a quarter as a portion. 

French Dressing with Green Peppers (Two portions) 

Yt. t-salt 4 T-olive oil 

Y\ t-pepper 2 T-chopped green 
2 T-vinegar peppers 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 283 

Mix the salt, pepper, and green pepper. Add the vinegar. 
Beat well and add the olive oil slowly. Beat with a silver 
fork until the dressing thickens. 

Peanut Cookies (Two dozen) 

J / 2 C-sugar % t-salt 

3 T-butter I C-flour 

i egg % C-chopped peanuts 

i t-baking powder % t-lemon juice 

Cream the butter, add the sugar, mix well, and add well- 
beaten egg. Add the baking-powder, salt, flour, chopped pea- 
nuts, and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly, and drop two inches 
apart on a greased baking-tin or in pans. Bake fifteen min- 
utes in a moderate oven. 



CHAPTER LXXXVIII 
THE HICKORY LOG 

t^QAY, this feels good!" said Bob, as he warmed his hands 

^ by the cheerful blaze. 

"Doesn't it!" said Bettina, enthusiastically. "And see, I've 
set the dinner table here by the fireplace. It's such fun when 
just the two of us are here. Isn't the log burning well?" 

"I wondered if we could use one of our new logs tonight — 
thought about it all the way home. And here you had already 
tried it ! November has turned so much colder that I believe 
winter is coming." 

"So do I, but I don't mind, I don't want a warm Thanks- 
giving." 

"Dinner ready ? M — m, what's that ? Lamb chops ? fiscal- 
loped potatoes ? Smells good !" 

"Come on, dear ! After dinner, we'll try those nuts we left 
so long out at Uncle John's. Do you think they're dry enough 
by this time? Charlotte phoned me that they had tried theirs, 
and found them fine. By the way, she and Frank may come 
over this evening." 

"Hope they do. Listen — I hear a car outside now." 

"Sure enough, that's Frank and Charlotte. Go to the door, 
Bob ! We'll persuade them to eat dessert with us. . . Hello, 
people ! Come in ; you're just in time to have some tea and a 
ginger drop-cake apiece." 

"That's what we came for, Bettina !" shouted Frank, laugh- 
ing. "And then you must come out in the car with us. It's 
a beautiful, clear, cold night, and you'll enjoy it — if you take 
plenty of wraps !" 

For dinner that night Bettina served : 

284 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 285 

Lamb Chops Escalloped Potatoes 

Egg Plant 

Bread Butter 

Ginger Drop-Cakes 

Tea 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Broiled Lamb Chops (Two portions) 

2 lamb chops i t-salt 
Ya, t-paprika 

Wipe the chops and place in a red-hot pan over the flame. 
When the under surface is seared, turn and sear the other side. 
Turn often for twelve minutes. When nearly cooked, sprinkle 
with salt and paprika. 

Escalloped Potatoes (Two portions) 

iH C-raw potatoes, sliced y 2 C-milk 
y 2 t-salt i T-butter 

i T-flour y$ t-paprika 

i T-chopped green pepper 

Mix the potatoes, salt, flour, paprika and green pepper. 
Place in a buttered baking dish or casserole. Pour the milk 
over the mixture and dot with butter. Put a cover on the dish 
and allow to cook for half an hour. Remove the cover and 
allow to cook twenty minutes more. More milk may be added 
if the mixture is too dry. 

Egg Plant (Three portions) 

i egg plant I T-water 

i t-salt H C-cracker crumbs 

I T-egg-yolk 2 T-lard 

Peel and slice the ^gg plant in slices one-half an inch thick. 
Sprinkle each slice with salt. Place the slices on top and allow 
to stand for two hours. This drains out the liquid. Wipe each 
piece with a cloth and dip in the beaten egg-yolk, to which the 
water has been added. Dip in the cracker crumbs. Place the 
lard in a frying-pan, and when very hot, add the slices of Qgg 
plant. Brown thoroughly on both sides, lower the fire and 



286 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

cook five minutes. Serve on a hot platter with the slices over- 
lapping each other. 

Ginger Drop-Cakes (Fifteen cakes) 

I C-molasses 2 t-ginger 

y 2 C-boiling water x / 2 t-salt 

2^4 C-flour y 2 C-chopped raisins 

1 t-soda 4 T-melted butter 

Put the molasses in a bowl, add the boiling water and the 
dry ingredients, sifted. Then add the raisins and the melted 
butter. Beat well for two minutes. Pour into buttered muffin 
pans, filling the pans one-half full. Bake twenty minutes in a 
moderate oven. 



CHAPTER LXXXIX 
SOME CHRISTMAS PLANS 

tt/^HRISTMAS is in the air today, I believe," said Char- 

^^ lotte as she took off her hat and warmed her cold 
hands at Bettina's open fire. "You ought to see the children 
around the toys downtown — swarming like flies at the molas- 
ses ! Still, we ought to think about Thanksgiving before we 
begin our Christmas plans, I suppose." 

"I try to get all my Christmas packages ready by Thanks- 
giving," said Bettina. "Of course, I don't always succeed, 
but it is a splendid aim to have! There is always so much to 
do at the last minute — baking and company and candy mak- 
ing! This year we plan to give very few gifts — but to send 
a card at least to each of our friends. We're racking our 
brains now to think of something that will be individual — 
really ours, you know. I think a tiny snapshot of yourself or 
your home, or your baby or your dog — or even a sprig of holly 
or a bit of evergreen on a card with a few written words of 
greeting means more to a friend than all the lovely engraved 
cards in the world ! Of course, some people can draw or paint 
and make their own — Alice will, I'm sure. One girl I know 
makes wonderful fruit cake, and she always sends a piece of 
it, in a little box tied with holly ribbon, to each of her friends. 
Aren't the little gifts that aren't too hard on one's purse the 
best after all — especially when they really come straight from 
the giver, and not merely from the store ?" 

"Bettina, I'll be afraid to send you anything after such an 
eloquent sermon as this !" 

"Oh, Charlotte, how you talk ! I'm telling you my idea of 

287 



288 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

what a Christmas gift should be, but I'll probably fall far 
below it myself ! Luncheon is ready, dear." 
For luncheon Bettina and Mrs. Dixon had : 

Mutton in Ramekins Rice 

Peanut Bread Butter 

Apple Sauce 

Tokay Grapes Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Mutton in Ramekins (Three portions) 

1V2 C-cold mutton 1 t-chopped mint 
2/3 C-brown gravy 1 egg-yolk 
Yz t-salt 1 egg-white, beaten stiff 

Mix the mutton, gravy, salt, mint and egg-yolk thoroughly. 
Add the egg-white. Turn into well-buttered ramekins or china 
baking dishes. Bake in a moderate oven in a pan of hot water 
for twenty-five minutes. Serve in the ramekins. 

Rice (Three portions) 

y 2 C-rice 1 t-salt 

2 qts. boiling water 1 T-butter 

Wash the rice, add slowly to the boiling salted water. Boil 
twenty minutes. Pour the rice in a strainer and rinse with 
cold water. Place in the oven for five minutes to dry. Serve 
warm, dotted with butter. 

Peanut Bread (Twelve slices) 

2 C-flour 4 T-"C" sugar 

4 t-baking powder 1 egg 
y 2 t-salt Yi. C-chopped peanuts 

Y\ C-milk 

Mix thoroughly the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and 
peanuts. Add the egg and milk. Stir vigorously two minutes. 
Place in a well-buttered bread pan, and bake thirty-five minutes 
in a moderate oven. 



xc 

AFTER THE FOOTBALL GAME 

ffT^HERE are the men now," said Mrs. Dixon, rolling 
•*- up the hose she had been darning. "Good !" said Bet- 
tina. "The dinner is just ready for them, and I'm glad they 
didn't keep us waiting." 

"Hello ! Hello !" shouted Frank and Bob, letting in a gust of 
cold air as they opened the door. "Whew ! It's cold !" 

"How was the game?" 

"Fine ! 39 to o in favor of Blake !" 

"Not very exciting, I should think." 

"Still, Frank here wanted to bet me that Blake y would be 
badly beaten!" 

"Frank!" said Charlotte in exasperation. "Is that the way 
you show your loyalty to your home college ?" 

"Shame on you, Frank!" grinned Bob. "Well, dinner 
ready ? I'm about starving !" 

"Bettina has a regular 'after-the-game' dinner tonight," said 
Charlotte. "Just the kind to make a man's heart rejoice!" 

"Hurray !" said Bob, stirring up the grate fire. "And after- 
ward we'll have our coffee in here, and toast marshmallows. 
Shall we?" 

"Suits me !" said Frank. "Anything you suggest suits me, 
if it's something to eat." 

"Dinner's ready," said Bettina. "Come into the dining-room, 
people, and tell us about the game. Charlotte and I have 
mended all your hose this afternoon, and we deserve a royal 
entertainment now." 

289 



290 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Bettina," said Frank, "do you expect us to talk when you 
set a dinner like this before us?" 
The menu consisted of : 

Flank Steak, Braized with Vegetables 

Cabbage Salad 

Bread Butter 

Brown Betty with Hard Sauce 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(Admeasurements are level) 

Flank Steak Braized with Vegetables (Four portions) 

i r / 2 lbs. flank steak, i% inches i T-butter 

thick i x / 2 C-sliced, raw potatoes 

2 T-flour y 2 C-thinly sliced onions 

2 t-salt i green pepper, sliced thin 

I C-tomato pulp 

Cut with a knife across the grain of the flank steak, to pre- 
vent it from curling up. Sprinkle the flour and one teaspoonful 
of salt on both sides of the meat. Dot with butter, and place 
in an oblong baking pan. Over the meat place a thick layer 
of sliced raw potatoes. Add the green pepper, and season 
with one-half a teasponful of salt. Place the onions next and 
the rest of the salt. (One-half a teaspoonful.) Pour one 
cup of stewed or raw tomato pulp over all the mixture, and 
cover the baking pan tightly. Cook slowly in the oven for 
two hours. One-half hour before the meat is done, remove 
the cover to allow it to brown. Water may need to be added 
to prevent burning. In serving, very carefully transfer the 
steak to a hot platter, preserving the various layers of vege- 
tables. To serve, slice down through the layers as through a 
loaf. 

Cabbage Salad (Four portions) 

2 C-chopped cabbage x / 2 t-salt 
2 pieces of celery % t-paprika 

y 2 C-salad dressing or enough to moisten 

Chop the cabbage and the celery fine. Add salt, paprika and 
salad dressing. Serve cold. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 291 

Brown Betty (Four portions) 

2 C-bread crumbs I t-cinnamon 

2 C-sliced apples, pared and Yz C-water 

cored i T-lemon juice 

54 C-sugar i T-butter 

y 8 t-salt 

Mix the crumbs, apples, sugar, salt and cinnamon well. 
Pour water and lemon juice over the mixture. Place in a but- 
tered baking-dish. Place the butter over the top in small 
pieces. Cover the pan with a lid and bake in a moderate oven 
forty-five to sixty minutes. Remove the lid after the Brown 
Betty has been cooking twenty-five minutes More water may 
be needed if the apples are not very juicy. 

Hard Sauce (Four portions) 

3 T-butter ^ t-lemon extract 

I t-boiling water *4 t-vanilla extract 

24 C-powdered sugar 

Cream the butter, add the water and slowly add the sugar. 
Continue mixing until very creamy. Add the lemon and va- 
nilla extract. Form into a cube and place in the ice box. Al- 
low to stand half an hour, then cut into slices and serve on top 
of the Brown Betty. 



CHAPTER XCI 
A THANKSGIVING DINNER IN THE COUNTRY 

AFTER all the excitement of Alice's wedding, Bettina 
was more than delighted when she and Bob were invited 
to a family dinner at Aunt Lucy's on Thanksgiving day. "It 
always seems to me the most comfortable and restful place in 
the world," said she to Bob. "And Aunt Lucy is such a won- 
derful cook, too ! We're very lucky this year, I can tell you !" 

"Who's to be there?" 

"Father and mother — we are to drive out with them — and 
Aunt Lucy's sister and her big family. Thanksgiving seems 
more natural with children at the table, I think. And those 
are the liveliest, rosiest children!" 

Bob had slept late that morning, and consequently had eaten 
no breakfast, but he did not regret his keen appetite when 
Uncle John was carving the great brown turkey. 

"The children first, John," said kind Aunt Lucy. "The 
grown folks can wait." 

Little Dick and Sarah had exclaimed with delight at the 
place cards of proud turkeys standing beside each plate. In 
the center of the table was a great wicker basket heaped with 
oranges, nuts and raisins. 

"It doesn't seem natural without pumpkin pie," said Aunt 
Lucy, "but John was all for plum pudding instead." 

"We can have pie any day," said Uncle John, "but this is a 
special occasion. What with Dick here — and Sarah — and Bet- 
tina — who's some cook herself, I can tell you ! — I was deter- 
mined that mother should show her skill ! And she did ; didn't 
she?" 

292 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 293 

The menu was as follows : 

Turkey with Giblet Gravy Oyster Dressing 

Mashed Potatoes Creamed Onions 

Cranberry Frappe 

Bread Celery Butter 

Plum Pudding Hard Sauce 

Nuts Raisins 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

THE THANKSGIVING DINNER RECIPES 

Roast Turkey (Fourteen portions) 
i 12-lb. turkey 

The turkey should be thoroughly cleaned and washed in a 
pan of water to which one teaspoon of soda has been added 
to each two quarts of water. Wash the inside with a cloth, 
rinsing thoroughly, allowing plenty of water to run through the 
turkey. Dry well and stuff. Season all over with salt, pepper 
and butter. When baking, lay the fowl first on one side, then 
on the other until one-half hour before taking from the oven. 
Then it should be turned on its back, allowing the breast to 
brown. A twelve pound turkey should be cooked three hours 
in a moderate oven, basting frequently. 

Oyster Dressing (Fourteen portions) 

6 C-stale bread crumbs 2 t-salt 
]/ 2 C-melted butter y 2 t-pepper 

1 pt. oysters 

Mix the ingredients in the order given, adding the oysters 
cleaned and drained from the liquor. Fill the turkey and sew 
up with needle and thread. 

Preparing the Giblets 

Wash thoroughly the heart, liver and gizzard. Cut through 
the thick muscle of the gizzard and peel it slowly without 
breaking through the inside lining. Cut the heart open, and 
remove carefully the gall bladder from the liver. Wash care- 
fully again, and soak ten minutes in salted water. Cook slowly 



294 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

until tender, in one cup of water. More water may be needed. 
Cut fine, and add to the gravy. Save the stock. 

The Gravy 

i C-stock i T-cold water 
2 T-flour Y A t-salt 

For each cup of liquor, which is left in the roasting pan, add 
one tablespoon of flour. Mix the flour with two tablespoons of 
cold water, add the liquid slowly, and cook two minutes. Add 
one-fourth of a teaspoon of salt, and the giblets. Serve hot. 

Creamed Onions (Six portions) 

2 C-cooked onions i C-white sauce 

Cook the onions in one quart of water in an uncovered 
utensil until tender. (About fifteen minutes.) Drain and add 
one cup of white sauce. Serve hot. 

Plum Pudding (Six portions) 



2 C-soft breai 
% t-soda 
% t-cloves 


i crumbs 


y 2 C-molasses 
4 T-"C" sugar 
i egg 


i t-cinnamon 
Y A t-salt 
y 2 C-suet 


Y A C-milk 
y 2 C-currants 
y 2 C-raisins 
i t-vanilla 



Chop the suet, and sprinkle with one tablespoon of flour to 
prevent sticking. Add the raisins, currants, "C" sugar, salt, 
cinnamon, cloves and bread crumbs. Add the egg and milk 
beaten together, add the vanilla, mix the soda in the molasses 
and add to the first mixture. Fill a well-buttered pudding 
mould one-half full. Steam two hours. Serve with hard 
sauce. 

Hard Sauce 

1/3 C-butter $4 C-brown sugar 

2 T-hot water 
y 2 t-len 

Cream the butter, add water and gradually add the sugar. 
Continue mixing until very creamy. Add the vanilla and 
lemon extract. Chill and serve over the hot pudding. 



CHAPTER XCII 
PLANNING THE CHRISTMAS CARDS 

ft \ ND what is in this dish, Bettina?" asked Bob, as he 

JlV lifted the hot cover. 

"Candied sweet potatoes, dear, and I'm almost sure that 
you'll like them. I made them in the fireless cooker, and 
they're really more candy than potatoes." 

"They'll suit me, then," said Bob. "The sweeter the better ! 
My mother used to cook up candied sweet potatoes with a lot 
of brown sugar syrup — say, but they tasted good about this 
time of year when I would come in from skating! Well, I 
believe these are exactly like hers !" 

"Only hers weren't made in a fireless cooker," said Bettina. 
"Now, Bob, as soon as you have allayed your hunger a little 
we must put our heads together long enough to get an idea for 
Christmas cards. If we have something made, it may take 
several weeks, and you know it is no small task to address 
several hundred of them. As soon as we have ordered them, 
we'd better make out our Christmas list. But first, what shall 
the cards be ? Think, Bob !" 

"Goodness gracious sakes alive, but thinking is hot work ! 
Well, how's this? Suppose we don't have cards engraved — 
they're expensive, and besides, 'twould take too long! We'll 
find some plain white correspondence cards — or perhaps white 
cards with a red edge — and envelopes to go with them, and in 
the corner of the card we'll stick a tiny round snapshot of the 
house. Then we'll write this verse very neatly and sign it 
'Bettina and Bob.' Perhaps you can improve on this, how- 
ever: 

295 



296 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"We enclose our Christmas greetings 
And the hope that we may know- 
Many happy future meetings 
In this little bungalow !" 

"Bob, that's the very thing !" cried Bettina. 
For dinner that night they had : 

Beefsteak Fireless Sweet Potatoes 

Creamed Carrots 

Pineapple Charlotte Custard Sauce 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Fireless Sweet Potatoes (Candied) (Six Portions) 

6 large sweet potatoes i t-salt 
i C-brown sugar % t-pepper 

Y 4 C-water i T-butter 

Wash and peel the sweet potatoes. Slice them lengthwise 
in one-half inch slices. Make a syrup by boiling for five 
minutes the brown sugar and water. Add the butter. Ar- 
range the potatoes in a fireless cooker utensil. Sprinkle with 
salt and pepper, and pour the syrup over them. Place the 
heated disks under and over the pan of potatoes, and cook in 
the fireless an hour and a half. 

Pineapple Charlotte (Four portions) 

2 T-corn starch 2 egg-whites 

4 T-cold water i t-vanilla 

Y4 t-salt y 2 t-lemon extract 

54 C-sugar 2 slices of pineapple cut 

i C-boiling water in slices lengthwise 

Mix the corn starch, salt and sugar ; gradually add the cold 
water, stirring well, and then add the hot water. Cook about 
five minutes, stirring constantly. Then add the vanilla, and 
the egg-whites stiffly beaten. Pour into a moistened mould in 
which the slices of pineapple have been arranged. Set in a 
cool place for two hours. Serve with custard sauce. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 297 

Custard Sauce (Four portions) 

i]/ 2 C-milk z / 2 t-vanilla 

2 egg-yolks % t-salt 
Y\ C-sugar I T-flour 

Y^ t-lemon extract 

Mix well the sugar, salt and flour, gradually add the beaten 
egg-yolks, and the milk. Cook in a double boiler until the 
mixture coats a silver spoon yellow. Add the vanilla and 
lemon extract. Beat one minute. Serve very cold. 



DECEMBER. 

Roasting turkeys! Rich mince pies! 
Cakes of every shape and size! 
Santa, though they're fond of you, 
Christmas needs us housewives, toot 




CHAPTER XCIII 
HARRY AND ALICE RETURN 



HB^-— v^sfe 'He. 
r 


.jib si i 


if 



MTTTHO can that be?" said 



w 



Bettina, laying down 
her napkin. "Someone is at the 
door, Bob, I think. I wonder 
why he doesn't ring?" 

"Hello!" said Bob, throwing 
open the door. "Why, Bettina ! 
It's Alice and Harry ! When did 
you get home?" 

"We're on our way home 
now," said Harry, as he set 
down the suitcases he was holding. "Say, these are heavy! 
We thought we'd stop in for a minute to rest." 

"Welcome home !" said Bettina. "Just think, we don't even 
know yet where you went for your wedding trip, though we 
suspected California." 

"California it was," said Alice, "along with all the other 
recent brides and grooms. We escaped any particular notice ; 
there were so many of us. It was rather a relief, though." 
"Have you had your dinner?" asked Bettina, a little em- 
barrassed at the thought of the "dinner for two" that she 
and Bob were just finishing. There was certainly not enough 
left for another person,, not to suggest two. But then, of 
course there was her ample emergency shelf. 

"We had our dinner on the diner," said Harry, "or we 
shouldn't have dared to stop at this hour." 

"Do come on out to the kitchen," said Bettina. 

299 



( Bob is 



300 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

about to make some delicious sour cream candy, aren't you, 
Bob? Surely that is a splendid way to entertain a newly 
returned bride and groom." 

"Fine !" said Harry, "though we can't stay long. We must 
hie to our own apartment and get rid of the dust of travel. 
We're looking forward to the time when we can return some 
of your hospitality. I shall learn to make even better candy 
than Bob's !" 

For dinner that night Bettina had : 

Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes 

Apple Sauce 

Bread Butter 

Perfection Salad Salad Dressing 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes (Two portions) 

2 sweet potatoes Y\ t-paprika 
I t-salt 2 chops 

1/3 C-boiling water 

Pare sweet potatoes, add salt and place in the bottom of a 
small roasting pan. Wipe pork chops and place on top of the 
potatoes. Place the pan, uncovered, on the top shelf of a hot 
oven in order to brown the chops. Brown on one side and 
then turn gently and brown on the other. Sprinkle with a 
little salt and paprika, and add one-third of a cup of boiling 
water. Cover, and bake one hour, or until the potatoes are 
done. Baste frequently. 

Perfection Salad (Three portions) 

1 T-granulated gelatin 4 T-sugar 

4 T-cold water y 2 t-salt 

4 T-vinegar 2/3 C-diced celery 

1 T-lemon juice Yz C-shredded cabbage 

I C-boiling water 1 green pepper, chopped 

2 T-pimento, cut fine 

Add the cold water to the gelatin, and let it stand for five 
minutes. Add the boiling water. When thoroughly dissolved 
add the vinegar, salt, lemon juice and sugar. Mix well. Add 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 301 

the celery, cabbage, green pepper and pimento when the jelly 
begins to set. Pour into a mould which has been dipped in 
cold water. Allow to set in a very cold place for one hour. 
Serve with salad dressing. 

Sour Cream Candy (Six portions) 

2 C-brown sugar I t-vanilla 

y 2 C-sour cream or y 2 C-sour milk plus i T-butter 
34 t-cream of tartar 

Mix the sugar, cream of tartar and the sour cream or milk. 
Cook until a soft ball is formed when dropped in cold water. 
Remove from the fire and allow to cool. Beat until creamy 
and place in a well-buttered pan. 



CHAPTER XCIV 

THE FIRELIGHT SOCIAL 

** A ^^ w ^ at have you been doing all day?" asked Bob 
-Zjl after he had related his own experiences at the office. 
"Just m y usual work this morning, and this afternoon I 
went to a meeting of the social committee of our Young 
People's League ; you know I've promised to help this winter. 
They plan a social to be given in about two weeks to raise 
money for the orphanage fund, and I do think their idea is a 
clever one. You see, it's a 'firelight social' ; admission ten 
cents. Mrs. Lewis has offered her house for it. Invitations 
are to be sent to all members of the church, Sunday school 
and league, inviting people to 'come and read pictures in the 
fire.' The cards are to be decorated with little pen and ink 
sketches of hearthstones with burning logs on them. Of 
course there will be a huge log in her big fireplace. Then as 
soon as the guests are gathered around, someone is to read 
aloud that passage from 'Our Mutual Friend,' where Lizzie 
Hexam reads the pictures in the firelight for her brother. Then 
pencils and paper will be passed among the guests and each one 
writes a short description of the pictures he sees in the fire. 
In ten minutes these are collected and read aloud, with a prize 
for the best one. Then corn will be popped and marshmallows 
toasted, and weird ghost stories told. (Of course certain 
clever people have been asked beforehand to be prepared.) 
Then supper will be served by candlelight ; it will consist of 
things like sandwiches, cider, coffee, nuts and cookies. Don't 
you thin!: a firelight social will be fun ?" 

"Sure it will! But I'm glad to-night we can be alone by 
our own firelight, Bettina !" 

302 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 303 

That evening for dinner Bettina served : 

Fried Oysters Baked Potatoes 

Bettina's Relish Asparagus on Toast 

Apple Tapioca Cream 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Fried Oysters (Two portions) 

12 oysters i T-water 

Y C-cracker crumbs % t-salt 
I T-egg y & t-paprika 

2 T-fat 

Look over the selected large oysters to remove the shells. 
Mix the tgg, water, salt and paprika. Dip the oyster in the 
egg mixture and in the crumbs. Place the fat in the frying- 
pan, and when hot add the oysters. Brown nicely on each 
side, three minutes. Serve very hot on a hot platter. Gar- 
nish with parsley. 

Bettina's Fried-Oyster Relish (Two portions) 

i C-cabbage, cut fine x /% t-mustard 

i green pepper, cut fine Y\ t-salt 

I pimento, cut fine i T-"C" sugar 

54 t-celery salt 2 T-vinegar 

Mix the celery salt, mustard, salt and sugar, add the vinegar. 
Pour over the pimento, green pepper and cabbage. Serve as 
a relish with oysters and meats. This relish should be served 
within one-half hour after it is made. 

Asparagus on Toast (Two portions) 

Yz can asparagus tips % t-salt 

I C-vegetable white sauce % t-pepper 
2 slices of toast 

Heat the asparagus tips in the liquid in the can. When hot, 
remove from can upon slices of toast, sprinkle salt and pepper 
over each portion. Pour one serving of white sauce over 
each portion. 



a 



304 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Apple Tapioca (Two portions) 

4 T-pearl tapioca J /% t-salt 
3 T-cold water 4 T-sugar 

1 C-boiling water *4 t-vanilla 
2 sour apples 

Soak the tapioca in the cold water for ten minutes in the 
upper part of the double boiler. Add the boiling water and 
salt. Cook until transparent. (About twenty minutes.) Cut 
the apples fine, mix thoroughly with the sugar, place in the 
bottom, of a small baking dish, pour the tapioca mixture on 
them, and bake in a moderate oven until the apples are soft. 
(About twenty-five minutes. The time depends upon the 
variety of apple.) 



CHAPTER XCV 

ALICE'S TROUBLES 

ftTTT'HY, Alice, come in! Are you going out to dinner, or 
* Y just on your way home from some afternoon party ?" 

"I'm going down town to dinner with Harry ; I'll meet him 
there. And afterward we are going to the theatre." 

"What fun !" 

"Yes, fun for me," said Alice slowly. "I persuaded him to 
go. Just think, Bettina, we haven't been to the theatre one 
single time since we've been married !" 

"And that is — let's see — about six weeks?" said Bettina, 
laughing. "Come into the kitchen, Alice. I'm making a cran- 
berry pie for dinner." 

"A cranberry pie ? One of those darling criss-crossy ones ?" 
said Alice joyfully, throwing off her evening cloak. "Do let 
me help. I used to make little cranberry pies in a saucer when 
I was little ! I had forgotten that they existed ! Harry shall 
have one to-morrow !" And she rolled out the crust with 
deft fingers. 

"How easily and quickly you do everything, Alice." 

"Yes, too easily. Getting breakfast is fun, and getting dinner 
is fun, but it's over too soon. What do you do in the evening, 
Bettina?" 

"Oh, stay at home and read and mend mostly. What do 
you do?" 

"That's the trouble. Don't you get dreadfully bored just 
sitting around? Harry likes it — but I don't see how he can." 

"But aren't you tired in the evening? I suppose he is." 

"Tired ? Mercy no ! Not with the care of that little apart- 
ment ! I like fun and excitement and something to do in the 

305 



306 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

evening ! I've been studying household economy, as you sug- 
gested, and I've learned a lot, but I can't be doing that all the 
time ! Well, I must run on, Bettina ! Let me know how the 
pie turns out !" 

That night Bettina served: 

Bettina's Pork Chops and Dressing 

Baked Potatoes Apple Sauce 

Bread Butter 

Cranberry Pie Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Pork Chops Bettina (Two portions) 

2 pork chops *4 t-salt 
y 2 t-chopped onion i T-melted butter 

I T-chopped green pepper i egg-yolk 

1V2 C-fresh bread crumbs J4 t-celery salt 
J4 t-chopped parsley 1 T-water 

Add the onion, green peppers, parsley, salt and celery salt to 
the crumbs. Add the egg-yolk, butter and water, and mix 
thoroughly. Wipe the chops, and place one in a small pan (to 
serve as a roasting pan), place the dressing on top. Place 
the other chop on top of the dressing. Press together and 
bake in a moderate oven one hour. Turn the chops so that 
the under one will brown. Baste occasionally with one-fourth 
of a cup of hot water to which has been added one teaspoon 
of butter. Put a lid on the pan so that the steam will cause 
the chops to cook. Place one tablespoon of water in the pan 
to prevent burning or drying out. Replenish when neces- 
sary. 

Apple Sauce (Two portions) 

6 Jonathan apples Y% t-cinnamon 
y 2 C-sugar Enough water to cover 

Wash, pare, core and quarter the apples. Cover with water 
and cook until tender when pierced with a knitting needle. 
Add the sugar and cook five minutes more. Sprinkle cinna- 
mon over the top when serving. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 307 

Cranberry Pie (Four portions) 

2 C-cranberries i T-water 

i C-boiling water i T-flour 

l]/2 C-sugar y 2 t-butter 

i egg-yolk J /2 t-almond extract 

Cook the cranberries and water until the cranberries are 
soft. Add the sugar and cook five minutes. 

Mix flour and water, add the egg-yolk, butter and extract. 
Mix thoroughly. Add to the cranberry mixture. Pour into 
the uncooked pie-crust. Place pastry bars lattice fashion 
across the top, and bake thirty-five minutes in a moderate 
oven. 

Pie Crust (Four portions) 

i C-flour Y\ t-salt 
5 T-lard 3 T-water 

Mix the flour and salt. Cut in the lard with a knife, and 
add the water very carefully, to form a stiff dough. Roll into 
shape, and reserve a small part of the dough for the bars. Fit 
the crust carefully into a deep tin pie-pan. Fill the crust with 
the cranberry filling, being careful not to let any juice run out. 
Cut the bars two-thirds of an inch wide. Moisten the ends, 
and arrange in criss-cross fashion across the pie. 



CHAPTER XCVI 

SOME OF BETTINA'S CHRISTMAS PLANS 

* f 'T^O-NIGHT," said Bettina at the dinner table, "I expect 
■*- to finish three Christmas gifts — one for Alice, one for 
Mary and one for Eleanor. Now aren't you curious to know 
what I've been making?" 

"Curiosity is no name for it," said Bob, "but I'm even more 
curious to know what particular thing it is that makes this 
ham so tender. Is it baked? Anyhow, it's the best I have 
ever eaten." 

"Thank you," said Bettina, "but you always say that about 
sliced ham, no matter how it is cooked. But this is a little 
different. It is baked in milk." 

"Great, anyhow," said Bob. "Now tell me about your con- 
spiracy with Santa Claus." 

"Well, I am making for Alice an indexed set of recipes — a 
card index. All the recipes are just for two, and they are all 
tried and true." 

"Just for two, 
Tried and true — 
Sent, with Betty's love, to you." 

echoed Bob. "You can write that on the card that goes 
with it." 

"I shall have you think what to say on all the gifts, Bob. I 
must show you the box of cards. It is only a correspondence- 
card box, with the white cards to fit, but I'm sure that Alice 
will like her new cook book. Then for Mary and Eleanor I 

308 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 309 

have made card-table covers. Mary's is of white Indian head 
— just a square of it, bound with white tap and with white 
tape at the corners for tying it to the table. It is to have a 
white monogram. Eleanor's is linen-colored and is bound in 
green with a green monogram. Hers is finished and I shall 
finish Mary's this evening — that is, if you will read to me while 
I work !" 

"Hurray !" said Bob. "What shall I read? Mark Twain?" 

For dinner that night they had : 

Baked Ham Baked Potatoes 

Corn Bread Butter 

Cranberry Sauce 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Bated Ham (Three portions) 

2/3 lb. slice of ham i C-milk 
one inch thick i T-flour 
1 T-water 

Cover the ham with boiling water and let it stand ten min- 
utes. Remove from the pan, and place the ham in a pan just 
large enough to hold it. Cover with the milk. Place in a 
moderate oven and bake thirty minutes. More milk may be 
added if necessary. When the ham is done, add more liquid 
(enough to make one-half a cup). Mix flour with water. 
Add the hot milk to this slowly. Heat and cook one minute. 
Serve with the ham. 

Corn Bread (Three portions) 

Yz C-corn meal Yz t-salt 

2/3 C-flour 1 egg-yolk 

3 T-sugar 2/3 C-milk 

2 t-baking powder 1 T-melted butter 

Mix the corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt 
thoroughly. Add the egg-yolk and milk, and beat two min- 
utes. Add the melted butter. Mix well. Pour into a well 
buttered square cake pan. Bake in a moderate oven twenty 
minutes. 



310 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Cranberry Sauce (Four portions) 

I qt. cranberries 2 C-sugar 
2 C-water 

Look over and wash the cranberries. Cook them in the 
water until they are soft and the skins are broken. Remove 
from the fire, add the sugar and stir well. Cook three min- 
utes. Pour into a mould which has been dipped in cold water. 



CHAPTER XCVII 

MORE OF BETTINA'S CHRISTMAS SHOPPING 

**f~DOB, said Bettina, as she served the plum pudding, 
-■-* "Christmas is in the very air these days !" 
"Did the Christmas spirit inspire this plum pudding?" said 
he. "Blessings on the head of Santa Claus ! But why your 
outburst ?" 

"Because today I went shopping in earnest ! I bought the 
very things that seem most Christmassy : tissue paper, white 
and green, gold cord, a ball of red twine, Santa Claus and 
holly stickers, and the cards to tie to the packages. I love to 
wrap up Christmas things !" 

"And are most of your gifts ready to be wrapped ?" 
"No, not all, for some of them can't be made till the last 
minute. For instance, I thought and thought about Uncle 
Eric's gift ! I want so much to please him, but he has every- 
thing that money can buy except perhaps a cook that suits 
him. Finally I decided to send^him a box containing a jar of 
spiced peaches, a jar of Russian dressing, a little round fruit 
cake, and a box of fudge. The things will all be wrapped 

with tissue paper, and gold cord and holly " 

"Lucky Uncle Eric!" sighed Bob. "I wish Santa Claus 
would bring me a Christmas box like that — fruit cake and 

spiced peaches and Russian dressing " 

"Maybe he will if you're very good !" laughed Bettina. "If 
you eat everything your cook sets before you." 

"Tell me something hard to do !" said Bob, with enthusi- 
asm. For dinner that night they had : 

3ii 



312 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Escalloped Eggs and Cheese 
Baked Potatoes Current Jelly- 

Rolls 
Plum Pudding with Yellow Sauce 
Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Escalloped Eggs with Cheese (Three portions) 

3 hard-cooked eggs i C-soft bread crumbs 

2 T-butter ]/ 2 C-cheese, cut fine 

2 T-flour i t-salt 

i C-milk i t-parsley 

Melt the butter, add the flour and mix well. Gradually add 
the milk. Cook one minute, add the cheese and the eggs cut 
in slices. Add the parsley and the salt. Place one-half the 
crumbs in the bottom of a well-buttered baking dish, add the 
egg mixture and cover with the remaining crumbs. Dot with 
butter, and brown in a moderate oven. 

Bettina's Plum Pudding (Four portions) 



I 


C-fresh b 


read crumbs 


i 


t-baking powder 


% 


C-suet, chopped fine 


Va 


C-molasses 




% 


t-soda 




i 


egg 




% 


t-ground 


cloves 


1/3 C-milk 




y 2 


t-ground 


cinnamon 


4 


T-raisins 




% t-salt 




4 


T-nuts 





Mix the bread crumbs, suet, soda, cloves, cinnamon, salt 
and baking powder. Add the raisins cut fine, and the nuts. 
Break the egg into the molasses, beat well, and add the milk. 
Mix with the first ingredients. Stir and mix thoroughly. Fill 
a well-buttered pudding mould one-half full. Steam one and a 
half hours, and serve with yellow sauce. 

Yellow Sauce (Four portions) 

1 egg 1 T-milk 

}i C-powdered sugar y 2 t-vanilla 

Beat the egg white until stiff and dry. Add the yolk and 
beat one minute. Add the powdered sugar and continue beat- 
ing. Add the milk gradually and the vanilla. Continue beat- 
ins: for one minute. Serve at once over a hot pudding. 



CHAPTER XCVIII 
CHRISTMAS GIFTS 

*f O PEAKING of Christmas gifts," said Charlotte, "wouldn't 

^ anyone be delighted to receive a little jar of your Rus- 
sian dressing, Bettina?" 

"I'm sure I'd like it !" said Frank Dixon. "Much better than 
a pink necktie or a white gift book called 'Thoughts at Christ- 
mas-Tide !' " 

"Mary Owen makes candied orange peel for all of her 
friends," said Bettina, "and I think that is so nice, for hers 
is delicious ! She saves candy boxes through the year, and all 
of her close friends receive the same gift with Mary's card. 
We all know what to expect from her, and we are all delighted, 
too. And you see she doesn't have to worry over different 
gifts for each one. I do think Christmas is growing more 
sensible, don't you?" 

"My sister in South Carolina sends out her Christmas gifts 
a few weeks early," said Frank. "She sends boxes of mistle- 
toe to everyone. They seem to be welcome, too. By the way, 
Bob, did you and Bettina decide on your Christmas cards ?" 

"Yes," said Bob, "and they are partly ready. But we are 
waiting to get a little picture of the bungalow with snow on 
the roof — a winter picture seems most appropriate — and the 
snow isn't forthcoming! The weather man seems to be all 
upset this year." 

"Charlotte has been making some small calendars to send 
out," said Frank. "She has used her kodak pictures, and I'm 

313 



314 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

afraid they're mostly of me ! I don't know what some of my 
friends will say when they see me with an apron around my 
neck, seeding cherries !" 

"They'll be surprised, anyhow," said Charlotte. "I rather 
like that picture myself !" 

For dinner that night Bettina served : 

Escalloped Oysters Baked Potatoes 
Head Lettuce Russian Dressing 
Baking Powder Biscuits Apple Jelly- 
Prune Whip Cream 
Coffee 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Escalloped Oysters (Four portions) 

2 C-oysters I t-salt 

2 C-cracker crumbs Ya t-pepper 

3 T-melted butter i l / 2 C-milk 

Look over the oysters carefully and remove any particles 
of shell. To the melted butter add salt, pepper and cracker 
crumbs. Place a layer of crumbs in the bottom of a well 
buttered baking dish, and add the oysters and more crumbs 
until the dish is filled. Pour the milk over the oysters and 
crackers. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven. 

Russian Dressing (Four portions) 

i C-salad dressing y 2 t-paprika 

i t-chopped pimento Ya t-salt 

i t-chopped green pepper Yi C-olive oil 

i t-vinegar y 2 C-chili sauce 

To the cup of salad dressing, add the oil, chili sauce, season- 
ings, vinegar and finely chopped vegetables. Beat two minutes. 
Pour over head lettuce. 

Prune Whip (Four portions) 

1/3 lb. prunes 1 T-lemon juice 
3 egg-whites y 2 C-sugar 

Look over and wash the prunes. Soak for three hours in 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 315 

cold water. Cook until soft. Rub through a strainer, and 
add the sugar and lemon juice. Cook this mixture for five 
minutes. Beat the egg whites until very stiff, and add the 
prunes when cold. Pile lightly into a buttered baking dish 
and bake twenty minutes in a slow oven. Serve with cream. 



CHAPTER XCIX 

A CHRISTMAS SHOWER 

fCTAEAR Bettina," wrote Polly, "somehow I never do like 
■*-^ to write letters — certainly not at this busiest time of 
the year ! — but I simply must tell you about a luncheon that 
Elizabeth Carter and I gave the other day for one of our 
holiday brides. (Angeline Carey; do you remember her? A 
dear girl — rather quiet, but with plenty of good common 
sense.) 

"We had a large Christmas table (aren't they simple and 
effective?), with a Christmas tree in the center, strung with 
tiny electric lights, and hung with tinsel and ornaments. 
Strings of red Christmas bells stretched from the chandelier 
above the table to the four corners. The favors at each place 
were several kinds, — Santas, little Christmas trees, snow men 
and sleds, all of them concealing at their bases the boxes hold- 
ing the salted nuts. The place-cards were simply Christmas 
cards. 

"Before the guest of honor stood a small Santa, larger, 
however, than any of the other Santas, and in his hands were 
the ends of twenty or more narrow green ribbons, each lead- 
ing to a separate shower-package at the base of the tree. These 
packages (it was a miscellaneous shower) made an interest- 
ing-looking heap, but we didn't ask Angeline to open them 
until we had reached the salad course. Then she drew each 
one toward her by the end of a ribbon, opened it, and read 
the verse on the gift. You have no idea how clever some of 

316 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 317 

the gifts and verses were ! Margaret McLaughlin — do you 
remember her? — had dressed a dishmop in two tea towels, 
making the funniest old woman ! This she introduced as 
Bridget, Angeline's cook-to-be ! One of the girls who sketches 
cleverly had illustrated her card with pictures of Angeline in 
her kitchen. 

"But I am forgetting our table decorations ! We had fur- 
nished four rooms for Angeline, doll size, and the furniture 
of. each was grouped along the table. Besides the living room, 
bedroom, dining room and kitchen, we presented Angeline and 
Dean with an auto (in miniature, of course), a cow, a horse, 
several ducks and chickens, a ferocious dog and a sleepy cat. 
Weren't we good to them ? And lo and behold ! beside the 
auto stood Dean himself, disguised as a little china kewpie 
man; while Angeline, always a lady, stood gracefully in the 
living room and refused to help him with his menial tasks, 
or to assist Nora, who was hanging out the clothes in the back 
yard. Angeline was a kewpie, dressed in style. 

"We had the greatest fun finding and arranging these deco- 
rations ! And now I must tell you about the luncheon itself. 
I'm even enclosing our recipes, for I know you'll be inter- 
ested. . . ." 

"Hello, there, Bettina !" called Bob at this moment, coming 
in with a rush, "is dinner ready? What do you suppose I've 
done? I've absolutely forgotten to send a Christmas gift to 
Aunt Elizabeth, and I know she'll feel hurt. Will you go 
with me after dinner to get it ?" 

Polly's luncheon menu was as follows : 



A CHRISTMAS SHOWER 

Grapefruit with Maraschino Cherries 

Chicken Croquettes Candied Sweet Potatoes 

Creamed Peas 

Light Rolls Butter 

Cranberry Jelly 

Vegetable Salad Salad Dressing 

Santa Claus Sandwiches 
Chocolate Ice Cream a la Tannenbaum 

Christmas White Cake 
Salted Nuts Coffee Candy Canes 



318 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"I wish, Bettina," Polly's letter continued, "that you might 
have seen the cunning sandwiches that we served with the 
salad. They were cut with a star-shaped cooky cutter, and 
on each one was perched a tiny Santa Claus. The sandwiches 
were arranged on a tray decorated with Christmas tree 
branches. 

"And now comes the dessert. The chocolate ice cream was 
served in small flower pots lined with waxed paper, and in 
each flower pot grew a miniature Christmas tree. Around the 
base of the tree, whipped cream was heaped to represent snow. 
They were really very cunning. 

"Served with the ice cream was a large round white cake 
decorated very elaborately with icing bells and holly. On the 
top was placed a real candy bell, large and red. This cake 
was carried in to Angeline to cut. Around the base, inside 
the cake, were twenty tiny favors wrapped in waxed paper. 
They were of all sorts : pipes, canoes, flat irons, animals, birds, 
many things, but all very tiny. Narrow white bows tied on 
each favor indicated its position in the cake so that the pieces 
could be cut to give each guest a favor. Angeline cut her 
piece first and drew her favor by pulling the little white rib- 
bon. It was really great fun drawing and unwrapping the 
favors, and the girls tried to interpret the meaning of each. 
Mary Katherine, Angeline's younger sister, drew the ring, and 
delightedly proclaimed that she would be the next bride. At 
this the girls looked a little doubtful, for at the table were no 
less than six engaged girls besides Angeline. Mary Katherine 
may fool them — who knows ? — but I hope not, for she is far 
too young and silly to 'settle down' for many years. 

"With the coffee we served striped candy canes. 

"Well, Betty, I believe I've told you everything about our 
Christmas luncheon. Do write me soon again, for I love to 
get your letters. Stir Bob up to write occasionally; he has 
forgotten his sister — now that he has a wife. 

"Yours always, 

"Polly." 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 319 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Chicken Croquettes (Twenty-five croquettes) 





A 3-lb. chicken 


, cooked 


2 


t-salt 




and cut fine 




I 


C-chicken fat 


I 


lb. lean veal, 


cooked 


l A 


C-flour 




and cut fine 




i 


T-salt 


4 


T-chopped gre 


en pep- 


2 


C-milk 




per 




2 


eggs 


l A 


t-paprika 




3 


T-water 




3 


C-cracker 


crumbs 



Melt the chicken fat. Add the flour and salt and mix well. 
Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. When the mix- 
ture gets thick and creamy, allow it to cook, with an asbestos 
mat under the pan, for five minutes. This cooks the flour 
thoroughly. Beat one minute to make it creamy. Add the 
chicken, veal, green pepper, paprika and salt. Allow the mix- 
ture to cool. Take one tablespoon of the cooled mixture, and 
dip in the beaten tgg to which the water has been added. Dip 
in the crumbs and shape any desired shape, preferably conical. 
Allow the croquettes to stand at least one hour before frying. 
Fry in deep fat and drain on brown paper. Keep hot in the 
oven until serving. 

Vegetable Salad (Twenty portions) 

io tomatoes Yz C-green pepper, cut in strips 

2 t-salt 20 pieces of lettuce 

i t-paprika 2 C-salad dressing 

1 C-cottage cheese _ ^ C-salad dressing 

1 C-pimentoes, cut in strips J^ C-oil from the canned pimento 
y 2 C-whipped cream 

Arrange the lettuce leaves (washed) on salad plates. Place 
one slice of tomato, two slices of pimento and two slices of 
green pepper on each. Sprinkle the vegetables with pepper 
and salt. Add two teaspoons of cottage cheese. Place one 
teaspoon of salad dressing on each portion. 

To prepare the salad dressing, mix boiled dressing and 
pimento oil together and then add the whipped cream. Mix 
well, and pile attractively on the salad. 



CHAPTER C 

BETTINA GIVES A DINNER 

tt* I V HE Christmas feeling is everywhere now I" said Bettina, 
■*» as she arranged a small artificial fir tree in the center 
of the table. "It may be a little early, but I can't keep from 
using Christmas decorations to-night. Tannenbaum, O Tan- 
nenbaum, you look wonderfully festive with snow at your foot 
and your branches strung with tinsel and ornaments ! All that 
you lack is candles, but I shall use my red shaded candles on 
the table instead. Let me see, everything is ready, even to 
the biscuits which are in the ice box waiting to be popped in 
the oven when the guests arrive. The salad is mixed and 
waiting, and that Washington pie does look delicious! I'm 
glad I made it, for Bob is so fond of it. Wonder why Bob 
doesn't come ! I want him to see the table and the tree before 
the others get here! And build up the fire in the fireplace. 
It's snowing hard outside, and I want it to be warm and cozy 
inside. There's someone ! Well, off goes my apron !" 

The "someone" proved to be Bob, who came in, very pink 
as to his face, and very white as to his snow-covered shoulders. 

"It's growing colder every minute!" said Bob. "Well, a 
Christmas table ! I like that ! Makes a fellow feel festive !" 

"I couldn't resist the spirit of Christmas," said Bettina. 

"I couldn't, either/* said Bob, taking a half-dozen gorgeous 
yellow chrysanthemums from their wrappings. "So I bought 
you an early Christmas gift. Like 'em?" 

For dinner, Bettina served: 

320 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 321 

Pork Tenderloins Candied Sweet Potatoes 

Creamed Cauliflower 
Baking Powder Biscuits Butter 

Currant Jelly- 
Orange and Cherry Salad Wafers 
Washington Pie Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Orange and Cherry Salad (Two portions) 

2 oranges % C-diced celery 

y 2 C-white cherries % t-salt 
y 2 C-saiad dressing 

Remove the white membrane from the pulp of two oranges, 
and cut each section into half, crosswise. Add the seeded 
cherries, and celery salt. Mix thoroughly. Add the salad 
dressing, and serve very cold on lettuce leaves. 

Washington Pie (Six portions) 

i 1/3 C-sugar y 2 t-lemon extract 
3 eggs 2 C-flour 

y 2 C-water 2 t-baking powder 

Beat the egg-yolks five minutes, add the sugar and beat three 
minutes. Add the water, lemon extract, flour and baking 
powder. Mix thoroughly. Fold in the beaten egg whites very 
carefully. Bake twenty-five minutes in two round shallow 
pans in a moderate oven. When cool, put the following filling 
between the layers. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. 

Cream Filling for Washington Pie 

2/3 C-sugar l% C-milk 
1/3 C-flour 1 egg-yolk 

y 2 t-salt y> t-vanilla 

^2 t-lemon extract 

Mix thoroughly the sugar, salt and flour. Gradually add the 
milk, stirring constantly. Pour into the top of a double boiler, 
and cook until very thick. Add the egg-yolk, vanilla and lemon 
extract, and cook two minutes. Beat until creamy and cool. 
Spread on the cake. Serve Washington pie with whipped 
cream if desired. 



CHAPTER CI 
BOB'S CHRISTMAS GIFT TO BETTINA 

BOB had walked home from the office through the falling 
snow — and it was no short distance — with thought for 
neither snow nor distance. He was distinctly worried, — Christ- 
mas only two weeks off, the first Christmas since he and Bettina 
had been married, and as yet he had no idea what sort of a 
Christmas gift he ought to purchase for his wife. What did 
she need? Unfortunately he had heard her say only a few 
days ago that she didn't need a thing. What did she secretly 
long for ? A glass baking dish ! Shucks, what an unromantic 
present ! Surely Bettina had been teasing him when she men- 
tioned such a prosy gift as that ! Well, if he didn't have some 
inspiration by the day before Christmas there would be noth- 
ing to do but get her violets, or candy, or perhaps some silly 
book that she didn't want. 

"Hello, Bob !" said a voice almost at his feet. 

"Say Mister Bob, Billy," another voice corrected severely. 

"Hello, Jacky ! Good evening, Mar jorie! Coasting good?" 

"Oh, pretty good. You don't know what we've got at our 
house !" 

"Four Angora kittens !" interrupted Marjorie eagerly, be- 
fore Bob had a chance to guess. "Four whole kittens. Can't 
see a thing, though, but they'll learn after a while ! We're 
going to sell three of 'em, and keep one, and " 

"See here, Marjorie!" exclaimed Bob. "I'd like to buy one 
myself, for a Christmas present to some one ! How about 
it? You ask your mother to save one for me — I'll stop in to- 
morrow morning and talk to her about it. Could you take 
care of it for me till Christmas morning?" 

322 



With Bettina s Best Recipes 323 

And Bob strode on with a happy grin on his face. Wouldn't 
Bettina laugh at the idea of an Angora kitten ! 
For dinner that night Bettina served : 

Beef Steak Baked Potatoes 

Cauliflower in Cream Cranberry Jelly Moulds 

Bread Butter 

Burnt Sugar Cake Confectioner's Icing 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Cranberry Jelly (Three portions) 

2 C-cranberries 2/3 C-water 

Ya, C-sugar 

Look over the cranberries, removing any stems and soft 
berries. Add the water and cook until the skins have burst 
and all the berries are soft. Press through a strainer, remov- 
ing all the pulp. Add the sugar to the pulp, and cook until 
the mixture is thick, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. 
When the jelly stands up on a plate it is done. Pour into 
moulds (preferably of china or glass) which have been wet 
with cold water. 

Burnt Sugar Cake (Sixteen pieces) 

y 2 C-butter 2^ C-flour 

iK C-sugar 4 t-baking powder 

2 eggs 1 C-boiling water 

Ya t-salt 1 t-vanilla 

Caramelize two-thirds of a cup of sugar. When the sugar 
is melted and reaches the light brown or the "caramel" stage, 
add the water. Cook until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved 
in the water. Allow it to cool. Cream the butter, add the 
rest of the uncooked sugar, and then add the egg-yolks. Mix 
well. Add the salt, flour, baking-powder, vanilla and the 
cooled liquid. Beat two minutes and add the egg-whites 
stiffly beaten. Pour into two pans prepared with buttered 
paper. Bake twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Ice 
with confectioner's icing. 



324 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Confectioner's Icing (Sixteen portions) 

2 T-cream or milk I T-carmelized syrup 
J4 t-vanilla or maple syrup 

1V2 C-powdered sugar 

Mix the cream, vanilla and syrup. Add the sugar (sifted) 
until the right consistency to spread. Spread carefully be- 
tween the layers and on the top. Set aside to cool, and to 
allow the icing to "set." (More sugar may be needed in mak- 
ing the icing.) 



CHAPTER CII 
A CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST 

/^\ F course a tiny Christmas tree was the centerpiece on 
^-^ Bettina's breakfast table, set for a nine o'clock family 
breakfast. All of the Christmas gifts except those that were 
too large were grouped around the base of the tree. Bettina 
refused to allow even Bob to have a peep at the gifts until the 
guests, Father, Mother, Uncle John and Aunt Lucy, had ar- 
rived. 

"Now, don't you give us too much to eat, Bettina," laughed 
Father. "I know your mother has been making some mighty 
elaborate preparations for dinner at home, and you must leave 
us with an appetite." 

"Well, you won't have any appetite left if you eat all you 
want of these waffles of mine !" exclaimed Bob, coming in 
from the kitchen with a spoon in his hand and an apron tied 
around his neck. 

"Go back to the kitchen, Cook!" said Uncle John. "We 
don't want to see you, but we're willing to taste your waffles. 
Bring 'em on !" 

"First," said Bettina, "we'll eat our grapefruit. Then we'll 
open our packages, and then, Bob, you can help me serve the 
rest of our Christmas breakfast." 

"Come on!" said Uncle John. "Then I'll be Santa Claus 
and deliver the presents !" 

For breakfast Bettina served : 

Grapefruit with Maraschino Cherries 

Oatmeal and Dates Whipped Cream 

Ham Cooked with Milk Creamed Potatoes 

Muffins Orange Marmalade 

Waffles Maple Syrup 

Coffee 

325 



326 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Oatmeal with Dates (Six portions) 

I C-oatmeal i t-salt 
l}4 C-water y 2 C-dates, cut fine 

Mix the oatmeal, salt and water, and cook directly over the 
fire for three minutes. Add the dates, put in the fireless, and 
cook all night. Serve with unsweetened whipped cream. 

Ham Cooked in Milk (Four portions) 

i lb. ham (a slice two-thirds of an inch thick) 
i C-milk 

Pour boiling water over the ham, and allow it to stand ten 
rnrnutes. Remove the ham, and place in the frying-pan. Add 
the milk, and allow to cook slowly for twenty-five minutes. 
Remove from the milk and garnish with parsley. 

Muffins (Twelve muffins) 

2 C-flour y 2 t-salt 

4 t-baking powder I egg 
1/3 C-sugar 1 C-milk 

2 t-melted butter 

Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add the egg, 
beaten, and milk, and beat two minutes. Add the melted 
butter. Fill well-buttered muffin pans one-half full. Bake 
twenty minutes in a moderate oven. 

v. Waffles (Six portions) 

i$4 C-flour 3 t-baking powder 
2 T-sugar 2 well-beaten eggs 
1 t-salt Ya C-milk 

1 T-melted butter 

Mix and sift the flour, sugar, salt and baking-powder. Add 
the eggs and milk. Beat two minutes. Add the butter. Bake 
in well-greased waffle irons. 



CHAPTER CIII 

A SUPPER FOR TWO 

f*TT7*ELL, this is something like it!" said Bob, as he sat 
^y down to dinner one evening several days after 
Christmas. "A good plain meal again. I'm so tired of 
Christmas trees and Christmas flowers and Christmas food 
that I don't believe I'll care to see any more of them till — 
well, next year." 

"Everything is put away now," said Bettina. "All the pres- 
ents are in their permanent places. Except Fluff," she added, 
glancing at the Persian kitten cuddled in an arm chair. "I 
couldn't put Fluff away, and don't care to. Isn't he a darling? 
Just the very touch that the living room needed to make it 
absolutely homelike !" 

"Well," said Bob, "we did need a cat, but I think we need 
a dog, too. About next spring I'll get one, if I can find one 
to suit me." 

"Oh, Bob, won't a dog be a nuisance? And destructive? 
And do you suppose Fluff could endure one?" 

"Fluff can learn to endure one," Bob said. "Every home 
ought to have a dog in it. Oh, we'll get a good dog some day, 
Bettina, if I keep my eyes open." 

"Have another muffin," said Bettina. "They'll do to change 
the subject. Some day I may long for a dog, too, but just 
now — well, Fluff seems to be a pet enough for one house." 

327 



328 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

For supper that night they had: 

Bettina's Scramfoled Eggs Creamed Potatoes 

Corn Gems Plum Butter 

Hickory Nut Cake Confectioner's Icing 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Bettina's Scrambled Eggs (Two portions) 

2 eggs 2 T-ham, cooked and cut fine 

i t-onions, cut fine 2 T-milk 

Y% t-celery salt H T-butter 

i T-chopped pimento 1/3 t-salt 

1 T-green pepper, chopped l /% t-paprika 

Melt the butter in a frying-pan, and when hot, add the 
onions, pimento and green pepper. Let cook slowly one min- 
ute. Beat the egg, add the milk, celery salt, salt, paprika and 
chopped ham. Add the mixture to that in the frying-pan. 
Cook, stirring until it is thick and creamy. (About two min- 
utes.) Serve immediately on a hot platter. 

Corn Gems (Six gems) 

y 2 C-corn meal 54 t-salt 

3 T-sugar 1 egg 

y 2 C-white flour y 2 C-milk 

2 t-baking powder 1 T-melted butter 

Mix the cornmeal, sugar, flour, baking-powder, salt, egg 
and milk. Beat two minutes. Pour into well-buttered muffin 
pans, filling each half full. Bake twenty minutes in a mod- 
erate oven. 



JANUARY 

Simpler meals and wiser buying, 

More of planning, — less of hurry, - 

More of smiling, — less of sighing, 

More of fun, and less of worry, 

In this New Year's Resolution, 

Trouble finds a swift solution. 




mzm^m 



CHAPTER CIV 
ALICE COMES TO LUNCHEON 




**T DO love to cook!" ex- 

A claimed Alice enthusiastic- 



ally. 

"And we have had such de- 
licious meals since we began to 
keep house, if I do say it ! But 
oh, the bills, the bills! Bettina, 
isn't it terrible? But you can't 
get any meal at all without pay- 
ing for it, can you? I really do 
dread having Harry get the first 
month's grocery bill, though." 

"You ought not to have to say that, Alice," said Bettina, 
laughing nevertheless. "Why don't you have an allowance, 
and pay the grocery bill yourself ?" 

"Because I know I could never manage to pay it," said 
Alice, making a little face. "I do love to have perfect little 
meals and cooking is such fun, but you just can't have things 
right without having them expensive ; I've found that out. 
Last night we had a simple enough dinner— a very good steak 
with French fried potatoes and creamed asparagus on toast. 
Then a fruit salad with mayonnaise and steamed suet pudding 

and coffee. Harry said everything was perfect, but " 

"I'm sure it was, Alice. You are so clever at everything 

331 



332 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

you do. But wasn't that expensive for just a home dinner 
for two? Steak and creamed asparagus! And mayonnaise 
is so expensive ! Then think of the gas you use, too !" 

"I didn't think of the gas," said Alice ruefully. "I thought 
of Harry's likes, and of variety, and of a meal that balanced 
well. But not much about economy. I'll have to consult you, 
Bettina. I'll tell you: Couldn't I plan my menus ahead for 
a week, and bring them over to you to criticise? That would 
be fun, and I'm sure you could teach me a great deal." 

"I'd love to have you, Alice," smiled Bettina. 

For luncheon Bettina served : 



Chicken Loaf Creamed Potatoes 

Baking Powder Biscuits Cranberry Jelly 

Caramel Custard Whipped Cream 

Coffee 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Chicken Loaf (Two portions) 

Yt. C-cooked chicken */& t-celery salt 

y 2 C-ground, cooked veal i t-chopped parsley 

J/2 C-soft bread crumbs i egg 

y 2 t-salt y 2 C-milk 

Mix the chicken, veal and bread crumbs. Add the salt, 
celery salt, parsley, egg and milk. Mix thoroughly. Bake in 
a well-buttered pan thirty minutes in a moderate oven. 

Caramel Custard (Two portions) 

i C-milk 4 T-sugar 
i egg % t-salt 

14 t-vanilla 

Melt the sugar to a light brown syrup in a sauce pan over 
a hot fire, add the milk and cook until free from lumps. Beat 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 333 

the egg, sugar, salt and vanilla, and pour the liquid slowly 
into the egg mixture. Pour into buttered moulds. Set the 
moulds in a pan of hot water and bake in a moderate oven until 
the custard is firm (about forty minutes) . Do not let the water 
in the pan reach the boiling point during the process of baking. 



CHAPTER CV 
RUTH STAYS TO DINNER 

** OEE, Ruth, it's snowing harder — a perfect blizzard. That 

^ means that you'll have to stay to dinner." 

"I'm only too glad to find an excuse, Bettina, but you must 
remember that I'll have to get back some time, and I suppose 
that now is best." 

"Well, Bob will take you after dinner. See, I've put on a 
place for you." 

"That's fine, Bettina, and I suppose I may as well stay. I've 
been anxious to ask you what you were putting in the oven 
just as I came in." 

"A dish of tomatoes, cheese and rice baked together ; Bob is 
fond of it. You know I almost always plan to have two or 
more oven dishes if I am using the oven at all, and tonight I 
was making baked veal steak." 

"I learned something new yesterday, Bettina, that I have 
been anxious to tell you. Mother was preparing cabbage for 
cold slaw (she always chops it, you know), and it suddenly 
occurred to her that she might easily use the large meat 
grinder. So she did, and the slaw was delicious. I would 
have supposed that the juice would be pressed out in the 
grinding, but it wasn't." 

"I must remember that. I suppose that other people may 
have thought of it, but I never have, and I'm glad to know 
that it works so well." 

"I believe I hear Bob, Bettina. He must be cold, for it is 
snowing and blowing harder every minute." 

334 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 335 

"Well, I'm glad I started the fire in the fireplace. There's 
nothing like an open fire/' 

For dinner that night Bettina served : 

Baked Veal Steak 

Baked Tomato, Cheese and Rice 

Bread Butter 

Tapioca and Date Pudding Cream 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Baked Veal Steak (Three portions) 

I slice of veal steak (three- I t-salt 

fourths of a pound, one- %. t-paprika 

half inch thick 2 T-bacon fat 

3 T-flour 2 T-water 

Wipe the veal and cut off any rind. Mix the flour, salt and 
paprika. Roll the steak thoroughly in this mixture. Place the 
bacon fat in the frying-pan and when hot add the meat and 
brown thoroughly on both sides. Place the drippings and the 
meat in a small baking pan. Add the water, Cover, and place 
in the oven. Cook one hour. More water may be added if 
necessary. 

Baked Tomato, Cheese and Rice (Three portions) 

i C-cooked rice %. t-paprika 

1/3 C-tomatoes 1 T-flour 

4 T-cheese, cut fine y 2 C-milk 

1 T-pimento 1 T-melted butter 

1 t-salt % C-cracker or bread crumbs 

Mix the rice and flour, and add the tomatoes, cheese, salt and 
paprika. Add the milk. Pour into a well-buttered baking 
dish. Melt the butter and add the crumbs. Spread the but- 
tered crumbs on the rice mixture. Bake in a moderate oven 
for twenty-five minutes. 

Tapioca and Date Pudding (Three portions) 

4 T-tapioca 8 dates, cut fine 

54 t-salt 1 T-lemon juice 

2 T-cold water 1 egg-yolk 

1 C-boiling water 1 egg-white 

2 T-sugar 1 t-vanilla 



336 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Soak the tapioca in cold water for ten minutes. Add the 
salt and boiling water and cook in a double boiler until trans- 
parent. (About twenty minutes.) Add the sugar and the 
dates cut fine, the lemon juice, egg-yolk and vanilla. Remove 
from the fire and add the stiffly beaten egg-white. Pile the 
mixture lightly in glass dishes and serve cold. 



CHAPTER CVI 
HOW BETTINA MADE CANDY 

ffTRAN over this morning," said Alice to Bettina, "to get 

-*- your candy recipes. That was such delicious Christmas 
candy that you gave Harry ! Wasn't it a great deal of work 
to make so much at a time? Perhaps I can't manage it, but 
I'd like to make a box of it for Harry's brother ; it will be his 
birthday in a few days." 

"It is very easy to make candy for Christmas boxes/' said 
Bettina. "That is, it is no harder to make a large quantity 
than to fill one box. Bob helped me one evening, and we made 
four kinds at once. I had already stuffed some dates and 
made some candied orange peel, so you see when the candy 
was made, it was fun to fill the boxes with a variety of things. 
I always save boxes throughout the year for Christmas candy, 
and then I fill them all at once. Of course, until this year I 
didn't have Bob to help me; he enjoys it, you know, and two 
people can make it so much more quickly than one." 

"Next year," said Alice, "I think I shall make Christmas 
candy — a quantity of it, so that I can put a box of it in every 
family box that I send. Meanwhile, I'll practise and ex- 
periment, and perhaps I can improve on the good old recipes, 
or think of clever ways of arranging and wrapping. Now will 
you let me write down some of your best recipes? I'll try 
them for Harry's brother." 

The candies that Bettina made were: 

Chocolate Fudge White Fudge 

Peanut Brittle Peanut Fondant 

337 



338 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Chocolate Fudge (One pound) 

2 C-sugar 2 squares or two ounces 

i C-sugar, "C" of chocolate 

Y± t-cream of tartar i C-milk 
i T-butter 

Mix the ingredients in order named, and cook until a soft 
ball is formed when a little of the candy is dropped in a glass 
of cold water. Remove from the fire and allow to cool. Do 
not stir while cooling. When cool, beat until creamy, add 
vanilla and pour into a well-buttered pan. Make white fudge 
and pour on top. When cool cut into squares. 

White Fudge (one pound) 

3 C-sugar 1/3 t-cream of tartar 
Yz C-milk 1 T-butter 

1 t-vanilla 

Mix and cook the same as chocolate fudge. 

Bettina's Peanut Fondant (One and one-half pound) 

2 C-"C" sugar 1 T-butter 

y 2 C-milk 2/2, C-roasted, shelled peanuts 

54 t-cream of tartar Y^ t-vanilla 

Cook the "C" sugar, milk, cream of tartar and butter until 
a soft ball is formed in cold water. Remove from the fire 
and allow it to cool. Beat until thick and creamy and add 
the nuts and vanilla. Shape into a loaf two inches thick and 
two inches wide. When cool and hard enough to cut, slice 
into one-fourth inch slices. Wrap in waxed paper and pack 
in boxes. 



CHAPTER CVII 
RUTH'S PLANS 

** A ND so, Bettina," said Ruth, sitting down on the high 

•**■ stool in Bettina's neat little kitchen, "Fred says we 
will begin the house early in the spring — as early as possible — 
and be married in May or June." 

"What perfectly splendid news!" said Bettina. "I'm just 
as glad as I can be !" 

"We've waited so long," said Ruth, wistfully. "Of course, 
if it hadn't been for the war — it did interfere so with business, 
you know — we would have been married last spring." 

"I know," said Bettina, sympathetically, "but you'll be all 
the happier because you have waited." 

"I'll want you to help me a great deal with my plans," said 
Ruth. "I've had time to do lots of sewing, of course, but I 
haven't thought anything about the wedding except that it will 
be a quiet one. And I want to ask you so much about house 
furnishings — curtains, and all that." 

"I'd love to help!" cried Bettina with enthusiasm. "There 
isn't anything that is such fun. Oh, Ruth !" 

"Gracious me! What?" cried Ruth, for Bettina had jumped 
up suddenly. 

"Poor Ruth," laughed Bettina, "I didn't mean to frighten 
you. I forgot my cake, that was all, and I was afraid it had 
burned. But it hasn't. A minute longer though — you know a 
chocolate cake does burn so easily. But it's all right. How- 
ever, you must admit that I did pretty well not to burn it 
while I was listening to wedding plans !" 

339 



340 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

That night Bettina served for dinner: 

Swiss Steak Mashed Sweet Potatoes 

Creamed Cauliflower 

Bread Butter 

Chocolate Nougat Cake 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Swiss Steak (Three portions) 

I lb. of round steak two-thirds % t-pepper 
of an inch thick Yz C-water 

5 T-flour i T-onion 

i bay leaf 2 cloves 

J4 t-salt 1 T-bacon fat 

Wipe the steak with a damp cloth, trim the edges to remove 
any gristle, and pound the flour into the meat, using a side 
of a heavy plate for the pounding. This breaks up the ten- 
dons of the meat. Place the bacon fat in a frying-pan and 
when hot, add the meat. Brown thoroughly on each side. 
Lower the flame. Add the bay leaf, salt, pepper, onion and 
water. Cover with a lid and allow to cook slowly for one 
and a half hours. More water may be needed if the gravy 
boils down. Pour the gravy over the meat when serving. This 
recipe is good for the tireless. 

Mashed Sweet Potatoes (Two portions) 

3 good-sized sweet H t-salt 

potatoes 1 T-butter 

2 C-water 2 T-milk 

% t-paprika 

Wash the potatoes and remove any bad places. Add the 
water, and cook gently until tender. Drain, and peel while 
still hot, by holding the potatoes on the end of a fork. Mash 
with a spoon or a potato masher, adding the salt, butter, milk 
and paprika. Beat one minute. Pile lightly in a buttered 
baking dish, and place in a moderate oven about twenty min- 
utes until a light brown. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 341 

Chocolate Nougat Cake 

4 T-butter i egg 

2/3 C-sugar T / 2 C-milk 

2 squares of chocolate i 1/3 C-flour 
2 T-sugar 2 t-baking powder 

2 T-water x / 2 t-soda 

y 2 t-vanilla 

Cook the two tablespoons of sugar, water and chocolate to- 
gether for one minute, stirring constantly. Cream the butter, 
add the sugar, the whole egg and the flour, baking powder and 
soda sifted together. Add the vanilla. Beat two minutes. 
Pour into two square layer-cake pans prepared with waxed 
paper. Bake twenty-two minutes in a moderate oven. Choco- 
late cakes burn easily and they should be carefully watched 
while baking. 

Ice with White Mountain Cream Icing. 



CHAPTER CVIII 
A LUNCHEON FOR THREE 

if/~\H, Bettina, what a perfectly charming table !" ex- 

^-^ claimed Alice, while her guest from New York, in 
whose honor Bettina was giving the little luncheon, declared 
that she had never seen a prettier sight. 

"But it's your very own Christmas gift to me that makes 
it so," declared Bettina, with flushed cheeks. For Alice's 
deft fingers had fashioned the rose nut cups (now holding 
candied orange peel), and the rose buds in the sunset shades 
in the center of the table. "They are almost more real than 
real ones ! I can scarcely believe that they are made of crepe 
paper." 

The square luncheon cloth on the round table was of linen, 
decorated with a cross-stitch design in the same sunset shades, 
so that the table was all in pink and white. A French basket 
enameled in ivory color held the rose buds, and another Christ- 
mas gift to Bettina was the flat ivory basket filled with light 
rolls. The luncheon napkins matched the luncheon cloth, as 
the guests noted, and "The menu matches everything else !" 
exclaimed Alice. 

"I'm glad you like it," said Bettina. "I have eaten chicken 
a la king often at hotels and restaurants, but until recently it 
never occurred to me to make it myself. And it isn't difficult 
to make either." 

"You must give me the recipe," said Alice. For luncheon 
Bettina served : 

342 



With Bettina s Best Recipes 343 

Chicken a la King Toast 

Light Rolls Butter 

Bettina Salad Salad Dressing 

Cheese Wafers 

Strawberry Sherbet Hickory Nut Cake 

Coffee 

Candied Orange Peel 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Chicken a la King (Three portions) 

2/3 C-cold, cooked chicken, diced 2 T-flour 

3 T-butter iy 2 C-milk 

1 T-green pepper, cut fine Y\ t-salt 

1 T-pimento, cut fine 1 egg-yolk, beaten 

Ys t-celery salt 3 slices of toast 

Melt the butter, add the green pepper, cook slowly for two 
minutes, and then add the flour. Mix well and add the milk 
slowly. Cook until creamy. Add the celery salt and the salt. 
When very hot, add the beaten egg-yolk. Mix well, and add 
the chicken and pimento. Reheat. Serve very hot on hot 
toast. (Do not cook the sauce any longer than absolutely 
necessary after the egg-yolk is added.) 

Bettina Salad (Three portions) 

3 slices of pineapple 6 halves of nut meats 

3 halves of pears 3 T-salad dressing 

6 marshmallows 3 T-whipped cream 

3 maraschino cherries 3 pieces of lettuce 

Wash the lettuce and arrange on salad plates. Lay a slice 
of pineapple on the lettuce and half a pear, the hollow side up, 
on the pineapple. Fill the cavity of the pear with salad dress- 
ing, and place one tablespoon of whipped cream on top of the 
salad dressing. Arrange two nut-halves, two marshmallows 
and one cherry attractively on each portion. Serve very cold. 

Hickory Nut Cake 

y 2 C-butter 4 t-baking powder 

15^2 C-sugar 2 C-flour 

2 eggs 24 C-milk 

x / 2 C-chopped hickory nut meats y 2 t-vanilla 



344 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Cream the butter, add the sugar and mix well. Add the 
egg-yolks, the nut meats, and the flour and baking powder 
sifted together. Then add the milk, vanilla and lemon ex- 
tract. Beat vigorously for two minutes. Add the whites 
Stiffly beaten. Mix thoroughly and pour into two layer-cake 
pans prepared with buttered paper. Bake twenty-five minutes 
in a moderate oven. Ice with confectioner's icing. 

Bettina's Confectioner's Icing 

2 T-cream y 2 t-vanilla extract 

y 2 t-lemon extract I C-powdered sugar 

Mix the cream and extracts. Gradually add the powdered 
sugar sifted through a strainer. Add enough sugar to form 
a creamy icing which will easily spread upon the cake. ( More 
than a cup of sugar may be needed.) 



CHAPTER CIX 
THE DIXONS COME TO DINNER 

f * QHALL I open this jar of grapefruit marmalade?" asked 

^ Charlotte, who was helping Bettina to prepare dinner. 

"Yes ; Charlotte, if you will." 

"How nice it is, Bettina ! How long do you cook it before 
you add the sugar?" 

"Well that depends altogether on the fruit. Sometimes the 
rind is so much tougher than at other times. You cook it until 
it's very tender, then add the sugar and cook until it jells." 

"There's another thing I'd like to ask you, Bettina. How 
on earth do you cut the fruit in thin slices ? Isn't it very diffi- 
cult to do ?" 

"Not with a sharp knife. I place the fruit on a hardwood 
board, and then if my knife is as sharp as it ought to be, it 
isn't at all difficult to cut it thin." 

"Well, perhaps I haven't had a sharp enough knife. Oh, 
Bettina, what delicious looking cake ! Is it fruit cake ?" 

"It's called date loaf cake. It has nuts in it, too, but no 
butter. I always bake it in a loaf cake pan prepared with 
waxed paper. Bob is very fond of it. I think it's very good 
served with afternoon tea." 

"I should think it might be." 

"Tonight, though, I am serving just sliced oranges with it." 

"That will be a delicious dessert, I think. Listen ! Is that 
Bob and Frank coming in?" 

345 



346 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

For dinner that night they had : 

Roast Beef Browned Potatoes 

Gravy 

Bettina's Jelly Pickle 

Bread Grapefruit Marmalade 

Date Loaf Cake Sliced Oranges 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Bettina's Jelly Pickle (Four portions) 

2 t-granulated gelatin 2 T-sweet pickles, chopped fine 

4 T-cold water 1 T-olives, chopped fine 

34 C-vinegar from a jar of sweet 1 T-spiced peach, chopped fine 

pickles 1 T-pickled melon rind 

Soak the gelatin in cold water for ten minutes. Heat the 
vinegar and when very hot pour into the gelatin mixture. Stir 
until dissolved. When partially congealed so that the fruit will 
not stay on the top, add the pickles, olives, peaches and rind. 
Pour into a well-moistened layer mould or four small ones. Set 
in a cold place one hour. Unmould. 

Grapefruit Marmalade (One and one-half pints) 

6 grapefruit 1 orange 

4 lemons 1 lb. sugar for each lb. of fruit 

6 C-cold water for each lb. of fruit 

Wash the grapefruit, lemons and orange carefully. Cut 
each in quarters. Slice the quarters through the rind and pulp, 
making thin slices. Weigh the fruit, and for each pound allow 
six cups of cold water. Allow to stand with the water on 
the fruit for twenty-four hours. Let all boil gently until the 
rind is very tender. No particular test can be given for this, 
as some fruit is much tougher than others. Set aside for four 
hours. Drain off the liquid. W^eigh the fruit mixture, and 
for each pound allow a pound of sugar. Let cook slowly until 
the mixture thickens or "jellies" when tried on a dish. Be 
careful not to get the mixture too thick, as it will thicken some- 
what more upon cooling. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 347 

Date Loaf Cake (Twelve pieces) 

i C-flour 2 eggs 

2 t-baking powder I t-vanilla 

y 2 t-salt i C-dates, cut fine 

i C-sugar y 2 C-nut meats, cut fine 

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar thoroughly. 
Add the dates, nut meats and vanilla. Mix thoroughly, add the 
egg-yolks and mix well. Beat the egg-whites until very stiff. 
Cut and fold these into the mixture. Pour into a loaf cake 
pan prepared with waxed paper. Bake in a slow oven for 
fifty minutes. 



FEBRUARY. 

Cold and snowy February 
Does seem slow and trying, very. 
Still, a month made gay by Cupid 
Never could be wholly stupid. 




.-ig 7 /^/^ 



CHAPTER CX 



A STEAMED PUDDING 




f f I A HIS was a splendid din- 
A ner, Bettina," said Ruth, 
as the two of them were carrying 
the dishes into the kitchen and 
Fred and Bob were deep in con- 
versation in the living-room. 
"Such a delicious dessert ! Suet 
pudding, wasn't it? I couldn't 
guess all that was in it." 

"Just a steamed fig pudding, 
Ruth. The simplest thing in the 
world!" 

"Simple? But don't you have to use a steamer to make it 
in, and isn't that awfully complicated? I've always imagined 
so." 

"You don't need to use a steamer at all. I steamed this in 
my fireless cooker, in a large baking powder can. I filled the 
buttered can about two-thirds full, and set it in boiling water 
that came less than half way up the side of the can. Of course, 
the cover of the can or the mould must be screwed on tight. 
And the utensil in which it is steamed must be covered. I 
used one of the utensils that fit in the fireless, of course, and I 
brought the water to a boil on the stove so that I was sure it 
was boiling vigorously when I set it in the cooker on the siz- 
zlinz hot stone. You see it is very simple. In fact, I think 
steaming anything is very easy, for you don't have to keep 
watching it as you would if it were baking in the oven, and 
basting it, or changing the heat." 

349 



350 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"We haven't a cooker, you know. Could I make a steamed 
pudding that same way on the stove?" 

"Yes, indeed the very same way. Just set the buttered can 
filled two-thirds full in a larger covered utensil holding boil- 
ing water. Keep the water boiling all the time." 

"I shall certainly try it tomorrow, Bettina !" 

For dinner that night Bettina served : 

Breaded Veal Creamed Potatoes 

Browned Sauce 

Spinach with Hard Cooked Eggs 

Bread Butter 

Spiced Peaches 

Fig Pudding Foamy Sauce 

Coffee 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Breaded Veal (Four portions) 

I lb. veal round steak, cut one-half an inch thick 

1 T-egg (either the white or the yolk) 
i T-water 

2/3 C-cracker crumbs, or dry bread crumbs 

2 T-lard 
Y A t-salt 

1 T-butter 
% t-paprika 

Wipe the meat with a damp cloth, and cut into four pieces. 
Mix the egg, water, salt and paprika, and dip each piece of 
meat into the egg mixture. Roll in the crumbs and pat the 
crumbs into the meat. Place the lard in the frying-pan, and 
when hot, add the meat. Brown well on one side, and then 
turn, allowing the other side to become the same even color. 
Lower the flame under the meat, and cook thirty minutes, 
keeping the pan covered. When the meat has cooked twenty- 
five minutes, add the butter to lend flavor to the lard. 

Browned Gravy (Four portions) 

1 T-butter y 2 t-salt 

2 T-flour y 2 C-water 

J4 C-milk 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 351 

Remove the breaded veal from the pan, and place on a hot 
platter. (Keep in a warm place.) Loosen all the small pieces 
of crackers and meat (if there are any) from the bottom of 
the pan. If there is no fat left, add butter. Allow the fat to 
get hot, and add flour and salt. Mix well with the heated fat, 
and allow to brown. Stir constantly, and add the water. Mix 
well, and add one-fourth cup of milk. Allow to cook one 
minute, stirring constantly. If a thinner sauce is desired, add 
another one-fourth of a cup of milk. If a thicker sauce is 
desired, allow to cook for two minutes. 

Bettina's Steamed Fig Pudding (Four portions) 



I 


C-flour 


V2 


C-molasses 


V2 


t-soda 


V2 


C-milk 


V2 


t-ginger 


V* 


C-suet, chopped fine 


/3 


t-cinnamon 


1/3 


C-chopped figs 


Va 


t-nutmeg 


i/3 


C-stoned raisins 




X A t-lemon extract 



Mix the flour, soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and suet. 
Add the figs, raisins, molasses and milk. Stir well. Add the 
lemon extract. Fill a well-buttered pudding mould two-thirds 
full. Steam an hour and a half, with the water boiling. Serve 
hot with foamy sauce. 

Foamy Sauce (Four portions) 

1 egg y 2 C-hot water 

V2 C-sugar 1 T-lemon juice or I t-lemon ex- 

tract 

Beat the egg vigorously. Add the sugar and mix well. Add 
the hot water and stir vigorously. Add the lemon juice. Serve. 
(This sauce may be reheated if desired.) 



CHAPTER CXI 
ON VALENTINE'S DAY 

**T3 OB, the flowers are lovely!" said Bettina, looking again 

•*-* at the brilliant tulips on the dinner table. "They make 
this a real valentine dinner, although there is nothing festive 
about it. I had intended to plan something special, but I went 
to a valentine luncheon at Mary's, and stayed so late " 

"A valentine luncheon ? With red hearts everywhere, I sup- 
pose?" 

"Yes, everything heart-shaped, and in red, too, as far as 
possible. Mary had twelve guests at one large round table. 
Of course, there were strings and strings of red hearts of va- 
rious sizes decorating the table — not a very new idea, of 
course, but so effective. And everything tasted so good ; cream 
of tomato soup, the best stuffed tenderloin with mushroom 
sauce (I must find out how that is made), and the best sweet 
potato croquettes !" 

"Sweet potato croquettes ? That's a new one on me \" 

"I'll have to try them some time soon. And Mary had peas 
in heart-shaped baking powder biscuits — the cunningest you 
ever saw ! — heart-shaped date bread sandwiches with her 
salad, and heart-shaped ice cream with individual heart cakes." 

"That was Valentine's day with a vengeance ; wasn't it ?" 

"Yes, but it was lovely, Bob !" 

That night Bettina served : 

Broiled Steak Baked Potatoes 

Macaroni with Tomatoes and Green Peppers 

Bread Butter 

Cornstarch Fruit Pudding 

Cherry Sauce 

Coffee 

352 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 353 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Macaroni, Tomatoes and Green Peppers (Three portions) 



/3 C-macaroni 


% t-celery salt 


3 C-water 


l /$ t-onion salt 


i t-salt 


3 T-cheese, cut fine 


i C-canned tomatoes 


2/3 C-meat stock or milk 


3 T-chopped green pepper 


%. C-crumbs . 


% t-salt 


1 T-butter 



Boil the water, add the salt. Add the macaroni cut in small 
pieces. Boil until tender (about fifteen minutes) and drain. 
Butter a baking dish. Add a layer of macaroni, a layer of 
tomatoes and some green pepper. Sprinkle with salt, celery 
and onion salt. Add the cheese, and continue with the layers 
until the dish is full. If available, use meat stock, if not, milk. 
Pour the liquid over the mixture. Melt the butter, add the 
crumbs and place on the top of the food. Place the dish in a 
moderate oven, and allow to bake twenty-five minutes, or until 
brown. 

Corn Starch Fruit Pudding (Three portions) 

y 2 C-water y 8 t-salt 

l / 2 C-cherry juice 3 T-sugar 
3 T-corn starch 1 egg-yolk 
1 egg-white 

Mix thoroughly the corn starch, sugar and salt. Gradually 
add the cold water and then the juice. Cook over hot water 
until the mixture becomes quite thick. Add the egg-yolk. Mix 
well, cool slightly and add the egg-white stiffly beaten. Pour 
into a well-moistened custard mould. Allow to stand for 
half an hour or more. Serve with cherry sauce. 

Cherry Sauce (Three portions) 

y 2 C-cherry juice y 2 t-lemon extract 
y 2 C-water y 8 t-salt 

1 T-flour 2 T-sugar 

y C-cherries, cut fine 

Mix the flour, salt and sugar. Add slowly the cherry juice 
and water. Cook two minutes. Add the cherries and extract. 
Serve hot over the cold pudding. 



CHAPTER CXII 
RUTH GIVES A DINNER FOR FOUR 

BETTINA and Bob arrived at half-past six, as Ruth had 
requested. 

"She wouldn't let me come earlier, Bob," explained Bet- 
tina as they rang the bell. "I wanted to help her, you know, 
but she said her father and mother were out of town and Fred 
was to be the only guest besides ourselves, so she was sure that 
she could manage alone. There she is now !" 

But it was not Ruth after all. 

"Why, Fred ; hello !" said Bob. "Did you come early to as- 
sist the cook?" 

"I did," said Fred, "but she informed me at once that she 
wanted no inexperienced 'help* around. So I've been sitting in 
the living-room alone for the last half hour. She did say that I 
might answer the bell, but as for doing anything else — well, 
she was positively rude!" 

And Fred raised his voice so that its penetrating tones would 
reach the kitchen. "The worst of it all is that I've been hungry 
as well as lonesome. I might endure sitting alone in the living- 
room if I hadn't gone without lunch today in anticipation of 
this banquet. And now " 

"Shame on you, Fred!" interrupted Ruth, coming in with 
flushed cheeks above her dainty white apron. "Did he receive 
you properly ?" 

"I leave it to you, Bettina, to say that I've received harsh 
treatment! Here I went and purchased four good seats for 
the Duchess theatre tonight." 

354 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 355 

"You did, Fred," cried Ruth. "Why, you dear boy! For 
that, I'll see that you are certainly fed well ! Dinner is ready, 
people ! Will you walk into the dining-room ?" 

Ruth's dinner consisted of : 

Pigs in Blankets Candied Sweet Potatoes 

Escalloped Egg Plant 

Bread Butter 

Date Pudding Cream 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Pigs in Blankets (Four portions) 

I C-oysters % t-salt 

8 slices thin bacon % t-paprika 

Remove the rind from long, thin slices of bacon. Place two 
or more oysters upon each slice of bacon. Sprinkle the oysters 
with salt and pepper. Roll up and tie with a white string. 
Saute in a hot frying-pan until nicely browned. Garnish with 
parsley. 

Candied Sweet Potatoes (Six portions) 

6 large sweet potatoes y 2 C-water 
i C-brown sugar i t-salt 

i T-butter 

Wash the potatoes thoroughly. Cook in boiling water until 
tender when pierced with a knitting needle. Drain and peel 
when cool enough to handle. Cut in slices lengthwise, three- 
fourths of an inch thick. Make a syrup by boiling the sugar, 
butter and water five minutes. Lay the potatoes in a pan, 
sprinkle with salt and pour the syrup over them. Cook in a 
moderate oven until the potatoes are browned, basting fre- 
quently. 

Escalloped Egg Plant (Six portions) 

2 C-cubed egg-plant y 2 t-salt 

3 T-butter Y\ t-pepper 
3 T-flour iy 2 C-milk 

Remove the skin from the egg-plant, and cut into slices a 



356 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

quarter of an inch thick. Sprinkle the slices with salt, pile 
one above the other, and place a weight on the top to extract 
the juice. Allow to stand one hour. Wash off, and cut into 
quarter of an inch cubes. Melt the butter, add the flour, salt 
and pepper. Mix well, gradually add the milk and cook two 
minutes. Add the egg-plant and pour the whole mixture 
into a buttered baking dish. Bake thirty minutes in a moder- 
ate oven. 

Date Pudding (Four portions) 

i C-flour Yz t-salt 

2 t-baking powder I egg 
y A C-"C" sugar 1/3 C-milk 

10 dates, cut fine y 2 t-vanilla 

3 T-melted butter 

Mix the flour, baking powder, "C" sugar, dates and salt. 
Add the tgg, milk and vanilla. Stir vigorously and beat one 
minute. Add the melted butter. Bake twenty minutes in a 
moderate oven, and serve hot with cream. 



CHAPTER CXm 
ALICE PRACTISES ECONOMY 

**/^\H, Bettina," said Alice, delightedly, as she opened the 

^^ door. "I'm so glad to see you ! I've just been think- 
ing about you ! What do you suppose I'm doing ?" 

"Getting dinner ? That is what I must be doing very soon. 
I stopped in for only a minute on my way home." 

"I am getting dinner, and I want to tell you that it is a very 
economical dinner. And it's going to be good, too. I thought 
and thought about your advice, and decided to practise it. So 
I searched through all my cook books for the recipes I wanted, 
and finally decided on this particular menu. But, Bettina, 
now I can tell you the flaw in your system of economy !" 

"What is that ? Harry doesn't like it ?" 

"Goodness no! Harry was delighted with the idea! My 
argument is this : It's going to take me an endless amount of 
time to plan economical meals that are also good, time that 
I ought to spend in polishing silver and making calls, and 
sewing on buttons, and " 

"I don't believe it'll be as bad as you think, Alice, dear," 
laughed Bettina. "For instance, if this meal tonight is good 
and economical, and Harry is pleased, don't forget the com- 
bination, but write it down in a note-book. You can repeat 
the menu in two or three weeks, and you have no idea how 
soon you will collect the best combinations, and ideas of econ- 
omy ! Tell me what you are having tonight." 

That night Alice served : 

Baked Eggs 

Potatoes Escalloped with Bacon 

Baking Powder Biscuits Butter 

Peach Cup with Peach Sauce 

Tea 

357 



358 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

THE RECIPES ALICE USED 

Baked Eggs (Two portions) 

2 eggs i T-butter 

y 2 C-milk Y A t-salt 

2 T-soft bread crumbs J /& t-paprika 

Butter two individual moulds, and break an egg into each. 
Mix the salt and pepper in the milk, and pour half of the 
mixture over each egg. Melt the butter, and add the crumbs. 
Place the buttered crumbs on top of each egg. Bake in a mod- 
erate oven twenty minutes. Serve in the moulds. 

Potatoes Escalloped with Bacon (Two portions) 

3 medium-sized potatoes % t-paprika 
3 slices of bacon 2 T-flour 

Ya t-salt i C-milk 

Broil the bacon, cut each piece in three parts. Butter a 
casserole and place in it a layer of peeled sliced potatoes. 
Sprinkle part of the flour, salt and paprika over the potatoes, 
and add three pieces of bacon. Continue in this manner until 
the dish is filled. Pour the milk over the contents, and bake 
forty minutes in a moderate oven. 

Peach Cup (Two portions) 

4 halves of canned peaches, 1^2 t-baking powder 

sweetened % t-salt 
1 T-egg 1 t-melted butter 

3 T-milk Ya t-vanilla 

2/3 C-flour 2 T-sugar 

Mash two peach halves, add the egg, milk, vanilla, melted 
butter, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix thoroughly. Place 
a tablespoon of the mixture in the bottom of a well-buttered 
baking cup. Add a peach half, and cover with the batter. 
Sprinkle one tablespoon of granulated sugar on the top and 
bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Turn from the cups 
and serve hot with peach sauce. 



With Bettina's Best Recipes 359 

Peach Sauce (Two portions) 

2/3 C-peach juice I T-flour 
1 T-lemon juice J / 2 t-butter 
Y A t-salt 

Mix one tablespoon of the peach juice with the flour. Grad- 
ually add the rest of the peach and lemon juice. Add the salt. 
Cook one minute. Add the butter. Serve hot. 



CHAPTER CXIV 
A COMPANY DINNER FOR BOB 

ff QOME dinner tonight," remarked Bob, as he sat down 

^P at the table. "Were you expecting company that didn't 
show up?" 

"No, indeed," laughed Bettina. "I expected just you and 
nobody else. But maybe I did cook a little more than usual. 
You see I was over at Alice's this afternoon inspecting her 
list of next week's menus. You know she is trying to econo- 
mize, and she is really doing it, but in spite of economy, Harry 
is having elaborate meals. I do hope he appreciates it. Nearly 
all of her dinners are three-course affairs, most carefully 
planned to look like 'the real thing' as she calls an ex- 
pensive dinner. I tell her that hers are the real thing, only 
almost too elaborate. You see, she is trying to disguise her 
economy so that Harry won't miss the first meals she gave 
him. She makes me almost afraid that I'm not feeding you 
enough." 

"No danger of that," said Bob, emphatically. "But what 
are all these economical things she is serving?" 

"Wait, I wrote some of them down. Listen. Here is one: 

Peanut Croquettes Olive Sauce 

Duchess Potatoes Creamed Beets 

Parker House Rolls 

Orange Marmalade 

Pea and Cheese Salad Wafers 

Apricot Ice Sponge Cake 

"How's that? And here's another: 

360 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 361 

Creamed Tuna 

Stuffed Potatoes Mock Egg Plant 

Whole Wheat Muffins Grape Jelly 

Russian Salad 

Fairy Gingerbread Hard Sauce 

"Well," said Bob, "they sound good, but not so good as the 
dinners you give me." 

That evening Bettina served : 

Escalloped Salmon Baked Potatoes 

Creamed Cabbage 

Egg Rolls Currant Jelly 

Chocolate Kisses 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Escalloped Salmon (Two portions) 



2/3 C-flaked salmon 


I hard-cooked egg 


1 T-butter 


I t-lemon juice 


1 T-flour 


3 T-chopped sour pickle 


2/3 C-milk 


y 2 t-minced parsley 


y 2 t-salt 


4 T-cracker crumbs 


*4 t-paprika 


1 T-butter 



Melt the butter, add the flour and mix well. Add the milk 
and cook one minute. Add the salmon, salt, paprika, egg 
diced, lemon juice, pickle and parsley. Mix thoroughly with 
a silver fork, being careful not to let the mixture get pasty. 
Pour into a well-buttered baking dish, melt the butter and add 
the crumbs. Place buttered crumbs on the top. Bake twenty- 
five minutes in a moderate oven. 

Egg Rolls (Two portions) 

1% C-flour 2 T-lard 

2 t-baking powder i T-egg 

% t-salt y 2 C-milk 

For the Top 

1 T-milk 1 t-sugar 

Mix and sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the 
fat with a knife. Add the egg and milk, using the knife to 
make a soft dough. Toss onto a floured board. Roll out to 



362 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

a thickness of one- fourth an inch. Cut out with a round 
cooky cutter, three inches in diameter. Brush over with milk. 
Fold over like pocket-book rolls. Place in a tin pan and brush 
over the top with one tablespoon of milk to which has been 
added one teaspoon of sugar. Bake in a moderate oven for 
twenty minutes. 

Chocolate Kisses (Fourteen kisses) 

i C-powdered sugar 2 ounces melted chocolate 

2 egg-whites I t-cinnamon 

i C-fine bread crumbs I t-vanilla 
i t-baking powder 

Beat the egg-whites very stiffly. Add very carefully the 
powdered sugar. Cut and fold in the bread crumbs and the 
baking powder. Add the chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla. 
Drop the mixture from the tip of a spoon, two inches apart 
upon a well-greased pan. Bake in a moderate oven twelve to 
fifteen minutes. 



CHAPTER CXV 
SUPPER AFTER THE THEATRE 

f f 'VTOW, Bob, you start the fire in the fireplace while I 

-L ^ go into the kitchen and get a little lunch." 

"Mrs. Bob," said Donald, an old school-friend of Bob's, 
"I don't want you to do any such thing ! We don't need any 
lunch ! Stay in here and we'll all talk." 

"You'll talk all the better for something to eat," said Bet- 
tina, "and so will Bob. Won't you, Bob?" 

"Well," said Bob, with a grin, "I will admit that coming 
home in the cold has given me something of an appetite. Then 
too, I'll tell you, Donald, that Bettina's after-theatre suppers 
aren't to be lightly refused ! Yes, on the whole, I think we'd 
better have the supper. We couldn't get you for dinner to- 
night, and you're leaving so early in the morning that you see 
you won't have had any real meal at our house at all !" 

Meanwhile, Bettina was busying herself with the little sup- 
per, for which she had made preparations that morning. When 
she had creamed the oysters and placed them in the ramekins, 
she popped them in the oven. Next she put on the coffee in 
her percolator, and placed in the oven with the oysters the 
small loaf of bran bread that she had steamed that morning. 
"Bob likes it better warm," she said to herself. 

Then she arranged her tea-cart with plates, cups, silver, nap- 
kins and peach preserves, not forgetting the rice parfait from 
the refrigerator. 

When she wheeled the little supper into the living-room, 
Bob and Donald welcomed her with delight. "I take it back ; 
I am hungry after all !" said Donald. 

363 



364 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Bettina served: 

Creamed Oysters in Ramekins 

Steamed Bran Bread Peach Preserves 

Rice Parfait 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Creamed Oysters in Ramekins (Three portions) 

1 doz. oysters l /& t-paprika 

2 T-butter 2 T-crumbs 

3 T-flour 2 t-butter 

Y\ t-salt 1 hard-cooked egg 

2 t-chopped parsley 

Heat the oysters until they are plump. Drain. Melt the 
butter, add the flour, salt and paprika. Mix well. Add the 
milk slowly and cook until creamy. (About two minutes.) 
Add the oysters, and place one-third of the mixture in each 
well-buttered ramekin. Melt the butter (two teaspoons) and 
add the crumbs, stirring well. Place the buttered crumbs on 
top of the mixture in each ramekin. Brown in the oven for 
fifteen minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, and garnish with 
hard-cooked egg cut in slices. 

Steamed Bran Bread (One small loaf) 

1 C-bran 4 T-raisins 

x / 2 C-white flour 2 T-chopped nuts 
y 2 t-soda 1 T-sugar 

% t-salt , 2 T-molasses 

1 t-baking powder^ C-milk 
2 T-water 

Mix the bran, flour, soda, baking powder, salt, raisins and 
nuts. Add the molasses, sugar, milk and water. Stir well for 
two minutes. Fill a well-buttered mould one-half full of the 
mixture. Cover with the lid, well-buttered, and steam for two 
hours. The steaming may be done in the tireless cooker, if 
desired. 

Rice Parfait (Three portions) 

1 C-cooked rice 2 T-chopped nut meats 
y 2 C-hot milk y 2 C-brown sugar 

2 C-cold water % t-salt 

1 T-granulated gelatin y 2 C-whipped cream 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 365 

Soak the gelatin in cold water for five minutes. Add the 
hot milk and allow it to dissolve thoroughly. Add the sugar, 
salt, nut meats and rice, and mix well. When thoroughly 
cooled, add the whipped cream. Pour into a well-buttered 
mould, and allow to stand in a cool place for two hours. Serve 
cold. Whipped cream may be served with the parfait if de- 
sired. 



CHAPTER CXVI 
WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY PLANS 

fr*/^ 1 OOD bran bread," said Bob, reaching for another piece. 

^J "I like that recipe," said Bettina, "and it is so easy 
to make." 

"What have you been doing all day?" Bob asked, "Cook- 
ing?" 

"No, indeed. Charlotte was here this afternoon and we 
made plans for the tea we are going to give at her house on 
Washington's birthday. Oh, Bob, we have some of the best 
ideas for it ! Our refreshments are to be served from the din- 
ing-room table, you know, and our central decoration is to be 
a three-cornered black hat filled with artificial red cherries. 
Of course we'll have cherry ice, and serve cherries in the tea, 
Russian style. The salad will be served in little black three- 
cornered hats ; these filled with fruit salad, will be set on the 
table and each guest will help herself. The thin bread and 
butter sandwiches will be cut in hatchet shape. And — oh, yes, 
I forgot the cunningest idea of all ! We'll serve tiny gilt hatch- 
ets stuck in tree-trunks of fondant rolled in cocoanut and 
toasted brown. Isn't that a clever plan? Charlotte saw it 
done once, and says it is very effective." 

"It sounds like some party ! And I'll feel especially en- 
thusiastic if you don't forget to plan for one guest who won't 
appear — or perhaps I should say two, for I know Frank won't 
want to be forgotten." 

For dinner that night Bob and Bettina had: 

Corned Beef au Gratin Baked Tomatoes 

Apple Sauce 

Gluten Bread Butter 

Cream Pie Coffee 

3 66 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 367 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Corned Beef au Gratin (Three portions) 

V/ 2 C-milk 2 T-butter 

l / 2 slice of onion I egg 

1 piece of celery I t-salt 

2 T-flour J4 t-paprika 

i C-chopped corned beef 

Place the milk, onion and celery over the fire. Allow to get 
very hot. Remove from the fire and let stand for ten minutes. 
Remove the celery and onion from the milk. Melt the butter, 
add the flour. Mix well and slowly add the milk. Cook until 
the consistency of white sauce. Add the egg, well beaten, the 
salt, paprika, and beef. Pour into well-buttered individual 
dishes. 

Place in a moderate oven and bake twenty-five minutes. Re- 
move from the oven and allow to stand two minutes. Re- 
move from the moulds and garnish with parsley. 

Baked Tomatoes and Cheese (Three portions) 

i C-canned tomatoes Y\ C-fresh bread crumbs 
y 2 t-salt 3 T-cheese, cut fine 

J4 t-paprika J4 C-cooked celery 

i T-butter 

Mix the tomatoes, salt, paprika, cheese and celery. Add 
half the bread crumbs. Pour into a well-buttered baking dish. 
Melt the butter, add the remaining crumbs and place on top 
of the mixture. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven. 

Gluten Bread (Ten slices) 

I C-gluten flour 2 T-sugar 

iY 2 t-baking powder 1/3 C-milk 

%. t-salt 1/3 C-water 

y± C-bran 1 t-melted butter 

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, bran and sugar. Add 
the milk and water. Beat vigorously for one minute and 
then add the butter. Pour into a well-buttered bread pan and 
bake forty minutes in a moderate oven. 



CHAPTER CXVII 
AN AFTERNOON WITH BETTINA 

WHEN Bettina pushed her tea cart into the living-room, 
Alice and Ruth laid aside the mending at which they 
had been busy. 

"What delicious toast, Bettina !" said Alice, taking one bite. 
"Why, it has cinnamon on it ! And sugar ! I wondered what 
on earth you were making that smelled so good, and this is 
something new to me I" 

"It is cinnamon toast," said Bettina, "and so easy to make. 
I was busy all morning, and didn't have time to make any- 
thing but these date kisses for tea, but cinnamon toast can be 
made so quickly that I decided to serve it." 

"I like orange marmalade, too, Bettina," said Alice. "I 
wish I had made some. I have spiced peaches, and a little 
jelly, but that is all. Next summer I intend to have a perfect 
orgy of canning, Then my cupboard will be even better 
stocked than Bettina's — perhaps! I opened a jar of spiced 
peaches last evening for dinner, and what do you think ! Harry 
ate every peach in the jar! I had expected them to last sev- 
eral days, too." 

"I hoped you saved the juice," said Bettina. 

"I did, but I don't know why. It seemed too good to throw 
away, somehow." 

"Have you ever eaten ham cooked in the juice of pickled 
peaches? It's delicious. Just cover the slice of ham with the 
juice and cook it in the oven until it is very tender. Then 
remove it from the juice and serve it." 

"It sounds fine. I'll do it tomorrow." 

368 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 369 

That afternoon Bettina served : 

Cinnamon Toast Tea 

Orange Marmalade 
Date Kisses 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Cinnamon Toast (Six portions) 

6 slices of slate bread 1/3 C-powdered sugar 
2 T-butter Y t-cinnamon 

Make a delicate brown toast and butter each slice. Mix the 
sugar and cinnamon, and place in a shaker. Shake the de- 
sired quantities of sugar and cinnamon over the hot buttered 
toast. Keep in a warm place until ready to serve. 

Bettina's Date Kisses (One dozen) 

I egg-white Ya t-baking powder 

Ys t-salt 24 C-chopped dates 

Y2 C-powdered sugar Y C-chopped nut meats 
Y2. t-lemon extract 

Add the salt to the white of an egg, and beat the egg-white 
very stiff. Then add the sugar, baking powder, nuts, dates 
and lemon extract. Drop from a teaspoon onto a buttered 
pan. Bake in a slow oven until delicately browned. (About 
twenty-five minutes.) 

Orange Marmalade (One pint) 

3 oranges Y* grapefruit 
2 lemons Sugar 

Wash thoroughly the rinds of the fruits. Weigh the fruit, 
and slice it evenly. To each pound of fruit, add one quart of 
cold water. Let the mixture stand for twenty-four hours. 
Cook slowly for one hour. Drain. Weigh the cooked fruit, 
and add an equal weight of sugar. Cook with the sugar for 
thirty minutes, or until it stiffens slightly when tried on a dish. 
Pour into sterilized jelly glasses. When cool seal with hot 
paraffin. 



CHAPTER CXVIII 
A WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY TEA 

WHEN the tea guests were ushered into Charlotte's din- 
ing-room that afternoon, they were delighted with the 
table and its red, white and blue decorations. In the center 
was a large three-cornered hat made of black paper, and 
heaped with artificial red cherries. The cherry ice was tinted 
red, and served in sherbet glasses. A large white cake, uncut, 
was one of the chief decorations, for halves of red cherries 
were placed together on it to represent a bunch of cherries, 
while tiny lines of chocolate icing represented the stems. 

Bettina poured the tea and placed in each cup a red cherry. 
The guests helped themselves to trays, napkins, forks and 
spoons, and each took a portion of Washington salad, served 
in a small, black, three-cornered hat, lined with waxed paper. 
Each took also a rolled sandwich, tied with red, white and blue 
ribbon, and a nut bread sandwich in the shape of a hatchet. 

The Washington fondant, rolled in cocoanut and toasted to 
represent tree trunks, with small gilt hatchets stuck in them, 
occasioned great delight. "How did you ever think of it?" 
Ruth asked, and Bettina gave Charlotte the credit, though she 
in turn disclaimed any originality in the matter. 

"One thing is lacking," said Bettina. "Charlotte and I 
should be wearing colonial costumes. We did think of it, but 
happened to be too busy to make them." 

That afternoon Charlotte and Bettina served : 

37o 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 371 

George Washington Salad 

Rolled Sandwiches Nut Bread Sandwiches 

Cherry Ice 

Cherry Cake Washington Fondant 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Washington Salad (Twelve portions) 

I C-diced pineapple V\ C-Brazil nuts, cut fine 

I C-marshmallows, cut fine \ x /z C-salad dressing 

I C-grapefruit, cut in cubes y 2 C-whipped cream 

I C-canned seeded white cherries 6 red cherries 

Y$ C-filberts 12 tiny silk flags 

Mix the pineapple, marshmallows, grapefruit, white cherries 
and nuts. Add the salad dressing. Serve immediately. Place 
waxed paper in the paper cups of the small, black, three-cor- 
nered hats. Place one serving of salad in each cup. Put one 
teaspoon of whipped cream on top and half a cherry on that. 
Stick a tiny silk American flag into each portion. 

Nut Bread for Sandwiches (Twenty-four sandwiches) 

2 C-graham flour 2/3 C-sugar 
I C-white flour \y 2 t-salt 

3 t-baking powder J / 2 C-nut meats, cut fine 
1 egg iy 2 C-milk 

Mix the flours, baking powder, salt, nut meats and sugar. 
Break the egg in the milk and add to the dry ingredients. Mix 
thoroughly, pour into a well-buttered bread pan and allow to 
rise for twenty minutes. Bake in a moderate oven for fifty 
minutes. 

Nut Bread Sandwiches 

24 pieces bread 2/3 C-butter 

When the nut bread is one day old, cut in very thin slices. 
Cream the butter and spread one piece of bread carefully with 
butter. Place another piece on the top. Press firmly. Make 
all the sandwiches in this way. Allow to stand in a cool, damp 
place for one hour. Make a paper hatchet pattern. Lay the 
pattern on top of each sandwich and with a sharp knife, trace 



372 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

around the pattern. Cut through carefully and the sand- 
wiches will resemble hatchets. This is not difficult to do and 
is very effective. 

Washington's Birthday Sandwiches 

I loaf of white bread one day old 

8 T-butter 

2 yards each of red, white and blue ribbon 

Cut the bread very thin with a sharp knife. Remove all 
crusts. Place a damp cloth around the prepared slices when 
very moist, and tender. Spread with butter which has been 
creamed with a fork until soft. Roll the sandwiches up care- 
fully like a roll of paper. Cut the ribbon into six-inch strips, 
and tie around the sandwiches. Place in a bread box to keep 
moist. Pile on a plate in log cabin fashion. 



CHAPTER CXIX 
ANOTHER OVEN DINNER 

BETTINA heard a step on the porch, and quickly laying 
aside her kitchen apron, rushed to the door to meet Bob. 
Her rather hilarious greeting was checked just in time, at sight 
of a tall figure behind him. 

"Bettina, this is Mr. MacGregor, of MacGregor & Hopkins, 
you know. Mr. MacGregor, my wife, Bettina. I've been try- 
ing to get you all afternoon to tell you I was bringing a guest 
to dinner and to spend the night. The storm seems to have 
affected the lines." 

"Oh, it has ! I've been alone all day ! Haven't talked to a 
soul! Welcome, Mr. MacGregor, I planned Bob's particular 
kind of a dinner tonight, and it may not suit you at all, but 
I'm glad to see you, anyhow." 

Mr. MacGregor murmured something dignified but indis- 
tinct, as Bob cried out heartily, "Well, it smells good, anyhow, 
so I guess you can take a chance ; eh, MacGregor ?" 

Bettina had a hazy idea that Mr. MacGregor, of MacGregor 
& Hopkins, was somebody very important with whom Bob's 
firm did business, and although she knew also that Bob had 
know "Mac," as he called him, years before in a way that was 
slightly more personal, her manner was rather restrained as 
she ushered them into the dining-room a few minutes later. 
However, the little meal was so appetizing, and the guest 
seemed so frankly appreciative, that conversation soon flowed 
freely. Bob's frank comments were sometimes embarrassing, 
for instance when he said such things as this : 

373 



374 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Matrimony has taught me a lot, MacGregor ! I've learned 
— well, now, you'd never think that all this dinner was cooked 
in the oven, would you ? Well, it was : baked ham, baked 
potatoes, baked apples, and the cakes — Bettina's cakes, I call 
'em. You see, my wife thinks of things like that — a good din- 
ner and saving gas, too !" 

"Oh, Bob !" said Bettina, with a scarlet face. 

"You needn't be embarrassed, Bettina, it's so ! I was just 
telling 'Mac' as we came in, that two can live more cheaply 
than one provided the other one is like you — always coaxing 
me to add to our bank account. It's growing, too, and I never 
could save before I was married !" 

The dinner consisted of : 

Baked Ham Baked Potatoes 

Head Lettuce Roquefort Cheese Dressing 

Bread Butter 

Baked Apples 

Bettina's Cakes 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Bettina's Baked Ham (Three portions) 
(Bob calls it "great") 

I lb. slice of ham three-fourths of an inch thick 
14 cloves V2 C-water 

y 2 C-vinegar 2 T-sugar 

2 t-mustard 

Remove the rind from ham. Stick the cloves into both sides. 
Place in a pan just the size of the meat. Pour the vinegar, 
water, sugar and mustard (well mixed) over the ham. Baste 
frequently. Bake in moderate oven until crisp and tender 
(about forty-five minutes). 

Head Lettuce with Roquefort Cheese Dressing (Three portions) 

1 head of lettuce Yg t-pepper 
y 2 t-salt %. C-Roquefort cheese 

3 T-oil 1 T-vinegar 

Cream the cheese, add salt, pepper and vinegar. Add the 
oil gradually. Mix well, shake thoroughly. Pour over the let- 
tuce and serve. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 375 

Baked Apples (Four portions) 

4 apples I t-cinnamon 

6 T-brown sugar 4 marshmallows 

4 T-granulated sugar 1 t-butter 

Wash and core apples of uniform size. Mix the sugar and 
cinnamon together. Fill the apples. Press a marshmallow 
in each apple also. Dot the top with a piece of butter. Place 
the apples in a pan, add the remaining sugar, cover the bottom 
with water, and bake until tender (twenty-five to thirty min- 
utes), basting often. Serve hot or cold. 

Bettina's Cakes (Eight cakes) 

1 C-flour l / 2 t-soda 

y 2 t-cinnamon l A t-baking powder 

% t-powdered cloves l /% t-salt 
1/3 C-sugar 1 egg 

2 T-melted butter 1/3 C-sour milk 

Mix and sift the dry ingredients. Add the Qgg and the sour 
milk. Beat two minutes. Add the melted butter; beat one 
minute. Fill well-buttered muffin pans one-half full. Bake 
in a moderate oven twenty minutes. 



CHAPTER CXX 
BOB MAKES POP-OVERS 

BETTINA was busily setting the table in the dining-room 
when Bob appeared. 

"Oh, Bettina," said he in a disappointed tone, "why not eat 
in the breakfast alcove? I'd like to show MacGregor how 
much fun we have every morning." 

"Won't he think we're being too informal?" 

"I want him to think us informal. The trouble with him 
is that he doesn't know that any simple brand of happiness 
exists. His life is too complex. Of course we're not exactly 
primitive — with our electric percolator and toaster " 

"Sorry, Bob, but you can't use the toaster this morning ; I'm 
about to stir up some pop-overs." 

"Well, I'll forgive you for taking away my toy, inasmuch 
as I do like pop-overs. Let me help you with them, Bettina; 
this is one place where you can use my strong right arm." 

"Yes, indeed I can, Bob. I'll never forget those splendid 
pop-overs that you made the first time you ever tried. They 
look simple, but not very many people can make good ones. 
The secret of it is all in the beating," said she, as she stirred 
up the smooth paste, "and then in having the gem pans and 
the oven very hot." 

''Well, these'll be good ones then," said Bob, as he set about 
his task. "You light the oven, Betty, and put the gem pans in 
it, and then before you have changed things from the dining- 
room to the alcove, I'll have these pop-overs popping away 
just as they ought to do !" 

The percolator was bubbling and the pop-overs were nearly 
done when they heard Mr. MacGregor's step. "He's exactly 

376 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 377 

on time," chuckled Bob. "That's the kind of a methodical fel- 
low he is in everything." 

"Well, there's no time when promptness is more appreciated 
than at meal-time," said Betty, decidedly. "I like him." 

"Come on out here!" called Bob, cheerfully. "This is the 
place in which we begin the day ! We'll show you the kind of 
a breakfast that'll put some romance into your staid old head. 
I made the pop-overs myself, and I know they're the best you 
ever saw — likewise the biggest — and they'll soon be the best 
you've ever eaten !" 

When Bob had finished removing the pop-overs from their 
pans, the two men took their places at the table to the merry 
tune of the sizzling bacon Bettina was broiling. 

"I never entertained a stranger so informally before," said 
she. 

"And I was never such a comfortable guest as I am at this 
minute," said Mr. MacGregor, looking down at his breakfast, 
which consisted of: 

Grapefruit 

Oatmeal 

Bacon Pop-Overs 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Pop-Overs (Eight) 

I C-flour y 2 t-salt 

i C-milk i egg, beaten well 

Add the milk slowly to the flour and salt, stirring constantly, 
until a smooth paste is formed. Beat and add the remainder 
of the milk, and the egg. Beat vigorously for three minutes. 
Fill very hot gem pans three-fourths full. Bake thirty minutes 
in a hot oven. They are done when they have "popped" at 
least twice their size, and when they slip easily out of the pan. 
Iron pans are the best. 



MARCH. 

Weary are we of our winter-time fare; 

Hasten, O Springtime, elusive and arch! 
Bring us your dainties; our cupboards are barel 

Pity us, starved by tyrannical March! 





CHAPTER CXXI 
IN MARCH 

ffOPRING is in the air," 
^ thought Bettina, as she 
opened the casement windows 
of her sun room. "I. believe we'll 
have dinner out here tonight. If 
Bob would only come home 
early, before the sun goes down ! 
Now I wonder who that can be !" 
(For she heard a knock at the 
kitchen door.) 

"Wny, Charlotte. Come in!" 
she cried a moment later, for it was Mrs. Dixon with a nap- 
kin-covered pan in hand, whom she found at the door. 

"I've brought you some light rolls for your dinner, Bet- 
tina," said Charlotte. "I don't make them often, and when I 
do, I make more than we can eat. Will they fit into your din- 
ner menu?" 

"Indeed they will!" said Bettina. "I'm delighted to get 
them. Now I wish I had something to send back with you 
for your dinner, but I seem to have cooked too little of every- 
thing !" 

"Don't you worry," said Charlotte, heartily. "When I think 
of all the things you've done for me, I'm only too glad to offer 
you anything I have ! Well, I must hurry home to get our 
dinner. That reminds me, Bettina, to ask you this : W r hen 
you escallop anything, do you dot the crumbs on top with 
butter?" 

"No, Charlotte, I melt the butter, add the crumbs, stir them 

379 



380 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

well, and then spread them on the top of the escalloped oys- 
ters, or fish, or whatever I am escalloping." 

"I'm glad to know the right way of doing, Bettina. Good- 
bye, dear." 

For dinner Bob and Bettina had : 

Ham Timbales Macaroni and Cheese 

Baked Apples 

Light Rolls Butter 

Grapefruit Salad 

Chocolate Custard Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Ham Timbales (Three timbales) 

I C-ground, cooked ham % t-paprika 
1/3 C-soft bread crumbs 1 egg 
Ya t-salt y 2 C-milk 

Mix the ham, salt, crumbs and paprika. Add the egg, well 
beaten, and the milk. Pour into a well-buttered tin or alum- 
inum individual moulds. Place in a pan of hot water and bake 
in a moderate oven for thirty minutes. Unmould on a plat- 
ter. Serve hot or cold. 

Grapefruit Salad (Two portions) 

1 C-grapefruit, cut in cubes 2 T-cottage cheese 

H C-marshmallows, cut in squares % t-paprika 

*4 C-diced celery 3 T-salad dressing 

54 t-salt 2 lettuce leaves 

Place the lettuce leaves on the serving plates. Arrange care- 
fully portions of grapefruit, marshmallows, celery and cheese 
upon the lettuce. Sprinkle with salt and paprika. Pour the 
salad dressing over each portion and serve cold. 

Chocolate Custard (Two portions) 

1 C-milk 1/3 square of chocolate, melted 

1 large egg 1 T-water 

4 T-sugar y 2 t-vanilla 

y% t-salt 

Cook half the sugar, the chocolate and the water until smooth 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 381 

and creamy (two minutes). Add the milk while the mixture is 
hot. Stir until smooth. Beat the egg, add the rest of the sugar 
and the salt. Add to the custard mixture. Mix well. Pour 
into two well-buttered custard moulds. Place the moulds in a 
pan surrounded by hot water. Set in a moderate oven and cook 
until a knife piercing it will come out clean. (Generally thirty 
minutes.) Allow to stand fifteen minutes in a warm place. 
Unmould and serve cold. 



CHAPTER CXXII 
A FIRELESS COOKER FOR AUNT LUCY 

"TITELL, Uncle John! Hello!" said Bob, as he came 
** into the kitchen. "Is Aunt Lucy here, too?" 

"No, she isn't," said Uncle John, shaking his head solemnly, 
"and the fact is, I shouldn't be here myself if it weren't for a 
sort of conspiracy ; eh, Bettina ?" 

"That's so, Bob," said Bettina, coming in from the dining- 
room, her hands full of dishes, "and now I suppose we'll have 
to let you in on the secret. Uncle John has just bought a 
beautiful new fireless cooker for Aunt Lucy. Haven't you, 
Uncle John?" 

"Well!" said Bob, heartily. "That's fine! How did you 
happen to think of it ?" 

"Well Bob, she's been dreading the summer on the farm — 
not feeling so very strong lately, you know — and this morn- 
ing she was just about discouraged. It's next to impossible 
to get any help out there — she says she's given up that idea — 
and at breakfast she told me that if the spring turned out to be 
a hot, uncomfortable one, she believed she'd go out and spend 
the summer with Lem's girl in Colorado. I naturally hate to 
have her do that, so I concluded to do everything I could to 
keep her at home. I telephoned to Bettina, and she promised 
to help me. The very first thing she suggested was a fireless 
cooker, and we bought that today. I believe your Aunt Lucy'll 
like it, too." 

For dinner Bettina served : 

Meat Balls with Egg Sauce 

Baked Potatoes 

Creamed Peas 

Marshmallow Pudding Chocolate Sauce 

382 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 383 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Meat Balls (Three portions) 



I 


C-raw beef, 


cut 


fine 


Vs 


t-paprika 


% 


C-bread crumbs 




i 


t-chopped parsley 


2 


T-milk 






X A 


t-onion salt 


I 


egg-yolk 






V4 


t-celery salt 


Va 


t-salt 






3 


T-bacon fat 



Soak the crumbs, milk and egg together for five minutes. 
Add the beef, salt, paprika, parsley, onion and celery salt. 
Shape into flat cakes one inch thick, two and a half inches in 
diameter. Place the fat in the frying-pan and when hot, add 
the cakes. Lower the flame and cook seven minutes over a 
moderate fire, turning to brown evenly. Serve on a hot plat- 
ter. Garnish with parsley. Serve with egg sauce. 

Egg Sauce for Meat Balls (Three portions) 

3 T-flour Y A t-salt 

2 T-butter 54 t-paprika 

i t-chopped parsley i hard-cooked egg, 

I C-milk cut fine 

Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and paprika. Mix well, 
add the milk, and cook for two minutes. Add the hard-cooked 
egg sliced, or cut in small pieces. Serve hot with the meat 
balls. 

Marshmallow Pudding (Three portions) 

2 t-granulated gelatin J / 2 C-boiling water 
2 T-cold water i t-lemon extract 

i/S C-sugar i t-vanilla 

i egg-white 

Soak the gelatin in cold water for three minutes. Add the 
boiling water, and when thoroughly dissolved add the sugar. 
Allow to cool. Beat the egg-white stiff. When the gelatin 
begins to congeal, beat it until fluffy, add the extracts and 
then the egg-white. Beat until stiff. Pour into a moistened 
cake pan. When hard and cold, remove from the pan, cut in 
one inch cubes and pile in a glass dish. 



CHAPTER CXXIII 
THE DIXONS DROP IN FOR DESSERT 

* f r^ OME in ! Come in !" cried Bob to the Dixons. "You're 

^^ just in time to have dessert with us ! Bettina, here are 
the Dixons !" 

"Do sit down," said Bettina, "and have some Boston cream 
pie with us !" 

"Frank won't need urging," said Charlotte. "Our dessert 
tonight was apple sauce, and Boston cream pie (whatever it 
is) sounds too enticing to be resisted." 

"It looks a little like the Washington pie my mother used 
to make," said Frank. "Only that wasn't so fancy on the 
top." 

"Washington pie needs whipped cream to make it perfect," 
said Bettina, "and as I had no whipped cream I made this with 
a meringue." 

"Dessert with the neighbors !" said Frank, laughing. "Char- 
lotte read me a suggestion the other day that sounded sen- 
sible. A housewife had introduced a new custom into her 
neighborhood. Whenever she had planned a particularly good 
dessert she would phone a few of her friends not to plan any 
dessert for themselves that evening, but to stroll over after 
dinner and have dessert with her family. Wasn't that an 
idea ? It might lead to cooperative meals ! We haven't done 
our share; have we? We should have telephoned to you to 
have the main course with us tonight. Say, Bettina, I like this 
Boston cream pie! It's what I call a real dessert!" 

384 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 385 

Lamb Chops Creamed Carrots 

Baked Potatoes 

Rolls Butter 

Baked Apples 

Boston Cream Pie Coffee 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Creamed Carrots (Two portions) 

I C-carrots y 2 C-milk 

I T-flour V A t-salt 

I T-butter % t-paprika 

Carrots 

Wash and scrape the carrots thoroughly, cover with boiling" 
water, and allow to boil until tender when pierced with a knit- 
ting needle or a fork. (About twenty minutes.) Drain and 
serve with sauce. Carrots may be cut into three- fourth inch 
cubes or any fancy shapes, and will cook in less time. 

White Sauce for Carrots 

Melt butter, add the flour, salt and paprika. Mix well. 
Gradually add the milk, and cook the sauce until creamy. 

Baked Potatoes (Two portions) 
2 potatoes 

Wash thoroughly two medium-sized potatoes. With the 
sharp point of the knife, make a small cut around the potato 
to allow the starch grains to expand. Bake the potato in a 
moderate oven until it feels soft and mealy, when pressed with 
the hands. (About forty-five minutes.) Break open the po- 
tato to allow the steam to escape. (Turn the potato about in 
the oven to insure evenness in baking.) 

Bettina's Baked Apples (Two portions) 

2 apples i t-cinnamon 

y 2 C-"C" sugar y 2 t-vanilla 
y 2 C-water A few grains of salt 



386 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Wash and core the apples. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla 
and salt, and fill the cavity with the mixture. Place the apples 
in a small pan, and pour a little water around them. Bake 
twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. 

Boston Cream Pie (Six portions) 

3 T-butter y A C-milk 

8 T-(one-half C-sugar) % C-flour 
i egg iy 2 t-baking powder 

Y\ t-vanilla 

Cream the butter, add the egg. Mix well. Add the sugar 
and mix thoroughly. Add the milk alternately with the flour 
and baking powder. Mix thoroughly. Add the flavorings. 
Bake in two layer-cake pans, fitted with waxed paper, in a 
moderate oven for twenty minutes. Spread the following filling 
between the layers. 

Filling 

7 T-sugar i egg-yolk 
3 T-flour i C-milk 
T /s t-salt J / 2 t-vanilla 

Mix the sugar, flour and salt. Add slowly the egg-yolk, 
beaten, and the milk. Stir well. Cook ten minutes in a double 
boiler, stirring occasionally to prevent lumping. Add vanilla 
and remove from the fire. When partially cool, spread part of 
the filling over one layer of the cake. Allow to stand five min- 
utes and then add more filling. Allow to stand two minutes. 
Place the other layer on the top. Spread a meringue over the 
whole and place in a hot oven long enough to brown it deli- 
cately. 

Meringue 

ft egg-white 2 T-sugar 
y$ t-salt % t-baking powder 

Add salt to the egg, beat until thick and fluffy, add the 
sugar and baking powder and beat one minute. 



CHAPTER CXXIV 
RUTH PASSES BY 

**T\/T — ^H" sa ^ R utn , walking into Bettina's kitchen late 

•*■*<*• one afternoon. "What is it that smells so perfectly 
delicious ?" 

"Lamb stew," said Bettina. "Bob is particularly fond of it, 
and we haven't had it for a long time. This is such a cold 
day that I thought lamb stew would taste very good tonight." 

"And what are you making now?" 

"Soft gingerbread. It's just ready to pop into the oven, and 
then I can go into the living-room with you and we'll visit 
in state." 

"Don't, Bettina. I'd much rather talk in your shining little 
kitchen with the kettle bubbling on the hearth (only it's a gas 
stove and you won't let it bubble long if you think of your 
gas bill). 'Kitchen Konfidences !' What a name for a nice 
little domestic science book !" 

"Well, we'll stay in the kitchen then, and exchange kitchen 
konfidences. Where have you been this afternoon in your 
big woolly coat?' 

"Down town to the market. And I did get something be- 
sides food — a small purchase that you advised me to buy. A 
box of labels — plain label stickers, you know — to stick on the 
boxes that I put away — out of season things and all that. I've 
noticed how neatly all your stored-away things are labeled." 

"It saves so much time in finding things. And a label looks 
better than writing on the, box, for the labels are white and 
very often the box is dark pasteboard, and pencil marks are 
difficult to see." 

"Well, good-bye, Betty dear, I must run along now." 

387 



388 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Bettina's menu that night consisted of: 

Lamb Stew 

Apple Sauce Rolls 

Gingerbread 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Lamb Stew (Four portions) 

i J / 2 lbs. lamb (from the shoulder) % t-powdered cloves 
3 T-lard I C-tomato 

3 C-boiling water 2 medium-sized potatoes 

1 small onion 2 T-rice 

2 t-salt J / 2 C-diced carrots 

Wipe the meat with a damp cloth, and cut into two-inch 
pieces. Place the lard in a frying-pan, and when hot, add the 
onion cut fine and allow to brown. Add the meat and brown. 
Add the boiling water to the meat and onion, and cook one 
minute. Pour all of the contents of the frying-pan into a 
sauce pan, and let it cook slowly for one hour. Increase the 
heat a little to allow the stew to boil occasionally. Add the 
potatoes cut in one-inch cubes, and the diced carrots. In 
twenty minutes, add a cup of canned tomato pulp or fresh to- 
matoes to the stew. Add the seasoning (salt and cloves), and 
cook ten minutes. This allows two hours for the entire stew. 
If at this time the stew does not seem thick enough, mix four 
tablespoons of water very slowly with two level tablespoons 
of flour, stir thoroughly, and pour slowly into the stew. Allow 
to cook two minutes and serve. 

Soft Gingerbread (Twelve pieces) 

i C-molasses i t-soda 

2 T-sugar 2 t-ginger 

1/3 C-butter and lard 1 t-cinnamon 
J4 C-warm water 1 t-salt 

2 C-flour 

Cream the butter and lard, add the sugar, molasses and 
warm water ; mix well. Mix and sift the soda, ginger, cinna- 
mon, salt and flour and add to the first mixture. Beat one 
minute and pour into a well-buttered pan. Bake in a moderate 
oven twenty-five minutes. Serve hot or cold. 



CHAPTER CXXV 
BETTINA ENTERTAINS A SMALL NEIGHBOR 

f *T NDEED I will keep Kathleen for you," said Bettina to 

-■- Mrs. Fulton. "I'll enjoy it. We'll have to invent some 
new plays and have such a jolly time that she won't miss her 
mother at all." 

"You're sure you don't mind?" asked Mrs. Fulton, anx- 
iously. "If mother were only stronger, I would leave her 
there " 

"Go right on, Mrs. Fulton, and don't worry one bit ! Kath- 
leen and I are going to have the time of our lives ! Let's see — 
it's nearly three. Shall I feed her anything?" 

"Well, she had an early lunch, and has just wakened from 
her nap. Perhaps she is a little hungry. Are you ?" 

"Bed'n delly," replied Kathleen with emphasis. 

"Oh, I know something that's better for little girls than 
bread and jelly !" said Bettina, lifting the roly-poly little mite 
onto the kitchen table. "I'll make her some good cream toast ! 
May I, Mrs. Fulton ?" 

"Indeed, you may, if you will," said Mrs. Fulton. "I'm 
afraid she won't always eat it, though. Well, I'll have to go, I 
suppose, if I get to sister Annie's train on time. Then we'll do 
a little shopping down town, and I'll be back for Kathleen at 
six o'clock sharp." 

"Just whenever it's convenient for you, Mrs. Fulton. Good- 
bye!" 

"Doodby," echoed Kathleen, apparently without the least re- 
gret. 

When Kathleen was established with her cream toast at the 

389 



390 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

kitchen table, Bettina said, "Now, when you're all through 
eating, you and Aunt Bettina will make a beautiful graham 
cracker cake for Uncle Bob. But first we'll clean some white 
gloves ! Shall we ?" 

Kathleen nodded solemnly, her mouth full of "dood tream 
toast." 

"Well, watch me then, honey-lamb. See, I'll put these dirty 
old gloves in this nice Mason jar of clean gasoline, and let 'em 
soak awhile. Then once in a while I'll shake 'em up like this. 
Then by and by I'll rinse 'em in nice new gasoline, and they'll 
be just as white as new. Did you know that, Kathleen ?" 

" 'Es," said Kathleen, staring wisely. 

"Oh, you little owl! You knew more than Aunt Bettina 
then — at least than I knew till yesterday, for I always thought 
it necessary to rub white gloves to get them clean. See ? This 
way I'll drop them down in the gasoline, and won't need to 
soil my hands at all ! I'll get them out with a clean little stick 
or a long fork. There ! Now, are we all ready to make the 
cake?" 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Cream Toast (Two portions) 

y 2 T-butter y 2 C-milk 
y 2 T-flour % t-salt 
2 pieces of toast 

Melt the butter, add the flour, mix well, add the milk slowly. 
Add the salt and boil two minutes. Dip the toasted bread into 
the white sauce, and when soft, remove to the serving dish. 
Pour the rest of the sauce over the toast and serve hot. One 
teaspoon of sugar may be added to the sauce. 

Graham Cracker Cake (Twelve pieces) 

1/3 C-butter 3 t-baking powder 

2/3 C-sugar 2 egg-whites, beaten 

2 egg-yolks y> t-ground cinnamon 
I C-milk y> t-vanilla 

2/3 lb. graham crackers rolled fine 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 391 

Cream the butter, add the sugar and heat. Add all the dry- 
ingredients mixed together alternately with the milk. Beat 
two minutes. Add the vanilla and the egg-whites, stiffly 
beaten. Bake in square tin pans for twenty-five minutes in a 
moderate oven. 

White Icing 

54 C-sugar Sifted powdered sugar 

54 C-water y 2 t-vanilla 

Boil the sugar and the water five minutes without stirring. 
Remove from the fire. Add the flavoring, and sufficient sifted 
powdered sugar to spread evenly on the cake. 



CHAPTER CXXVI 
A SUNDAY NIGHT TEA 

f GOTIR this chicken a la king a moment for me, will you, 
^ Ruth?" said Bettina. "I'll warm the plates in the oven." 
"What is that brown paper for?" 
"To put under the dishes I'm warming. It breaks the heat 

and prevents cracking. There, that cream sauce has cooked 

enough now. I'll take it and beat it for a minute. See ? There, 

now it's ready for the egg and the chicken mixture." 

"Shall I stir it now? Don't you put it back over the fire?" 
"Just for a minute. You see, if any custard or egg sauce 

is allowed to cook more than a minute after the egg has been 

added, it will curdle." 

"Oh, is it done now? Let me toast the bread for it, will you, 

Bettina? I like to make cunning little light brown triangles." 
"I hope I have made enough of this chicken a la king." 
"For eight people ? I'm sure that you have, Bettina. Even 

for people with as good appetites as Fred and I have! Are 

you ready to serve it now ?" 

That Sunday evening Bettina served : 

Chicken a la King Toast 

Cakes with Bettina Icing 

Coffee 

392 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 393 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Chicken a la King (Eight portions) 

1V2 C-cold boiled chicken, cut in 2/3-inch cubes 

y 2 t-salt 
1/3 C-button mushrooms, cut in fourths 

4 T-pimento, cut in hallf-inch lengths 
2 T-green pepper, cut fine 

5 T-butter or chicken fat 

6 T-flour 2 C-milk 
\ x / 2 t-salt 2 egg-yolks 

y 2 t-paprika 8 pieces of toast 

Boil the green pepper slowly for five minutes. Drain off 
the water. Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and paprika, mix 
thoroughly, and add the milk, stirring constantly. Cook three 
minutes or until quite thick. Remove from the fire, beat one 
minute, reheat, add the egg-yolk, mix thoroughly, and add the 
chicken mixture. Heat again. Serve immediately by pouring 
over slices of toast. 

To prepare the chicken mixture, thoroughly mix the chicken, 
half a teaspoon of salt, the mushrooms, the cooked green pep- 
per and the pimento. 

Small Cakes (Fourteen cakes) 

1% C-sugar r /g t-salt 

1/3 C-butter 2/3 C-milk 

2 C-flour 1 t-vanilla 

4 t-baking powder y 2 t-lemon extract 
2 egg-whites 

Cream the butter, add the sugar slowly and continue cream- 
ing. Mix and sift the flour, baking powder and salt and add 
these and the milk, vanilla and lemon extracts to the butter and 
sugar. Mix well and beat two minutes. Beat the egg-whites 
till very stiff and fold these very carefully into the cake mix- 
ture. When thoroughly mixed, fill the cake pans (which have 
been prepared with waxed paper) two-thirds of an inch deep 
with the mixture. 

Bake twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven, allow to 
stand five minutes, then slip a knife around the edges and re- 



394 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

move the cake carefully from the pan. Turn over, remove the 
paper and allow the cake to cool. Ice on the bottom side. 
When ready for serving, cut in two-inch squares. 

Bettina Icing 

I egg-white i t-vanilla 
I T-cream y 2 t-lemon extract 
2 C-powdered sugar 

Beat the egg-whites, add part of the sugar. Add the cream, 
vanilla and lemon extracts. Keep beating. Add the rest of 
the sugar gradually. (A little more sugar may be needed.) 
Beat the icing till very fluffy and until it will spread without 
running off the cake. Spread each layer. 



CHAPTER CXXVII 
A SHAMROCK LUNCHEON 

BETTINA was entertaining "the crowd" at a shamrock 
luncheon, and each guest, to show her enthusiasm for the 
charms of "ould Ireland," was wearing somewhere upon her 
gown, a bit of green. 

A green basket filled with white carnations and green fol- 
iage stood in the center of the table. White glass candle- 
sticks with green shades also carried out the color scheme, 
while white crocheted favor baskets, filled with dainty green 
candies, were at each plate*. The table was set for six. 

The name cards were white shamrocks outlined with green 
ink and edged with gilt, and the name on each was written in 
green. 

Bettina used green ferns for decoration in every possible 
place where they might add to the attractiveness of the table, 
under the glass dishes and around the baskets containing rolls, 
cakes and croutons. 

"You might be Irish yourself, Bettina," said Mary, "you 
have such a feeling for green! And isn't the table lovely, 
girls !" 

For luncheon Bettina served : 

Grapefruit Cocktail 
Cream of Celery Soup Shamrock Croutons 

Bettina Meat Timbales Brown Sauce 

Asparagus on Toast 
Mashed Sweet Potato Croquettes 
Shamrock Rolls Mint Jelly- 

Pepper Salad Sandwiches 

Bombe Glace Shamrock Cakes 
Coffee 
Shamrock Candies 

395 



396 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Grapefruit Cocktail (Six portions) 

2 grapefruit 6 green cherries 
1/3 C-sugar Smilax or fern leaves 

Peel the grapefruit, remove the white part and the tough 
membrane, leaving the fruit. Cut with the scissors into one- 
inch cubes. Place in a bowl, add the sugar and allow to stand 
in a cold place for one hour. Arrange the servings in six 
sherbet glasses. Place one green cherry on the top of each and 
garnish the plate with smilax or a fern leaf. Stand the sher- 
bet glasses on a paper doily on a small serving plate. Arrange 
a bit of the green leaf under the sherbet glass (on top of the 
doily) so that the green color will be visible through the glass. 

Cream of Celery Soup (Six portions) 

2/3 C-celery, cut fine 2 l / 2 C-milk 

iy 2 C-water 2 t-salt 

4 T-butter J4 t-paprika 

6 T-flour 1 t-chopped parsley 

2 T-whipped cream 

Wash the celery thoroughly, and cut into small pieces. Add 
the small leaves and the water. Simmer for thirty-five min- 
utes. Strain through a coarse strainer, rubbing all of the pulp 
through. Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and paprika. 
Add the milk and cook two minutes, stirring to prevent scorch- 
ing. Add the celery stock and the pulp. Cook one minute. 
Fill bouillon cups three-fourths full, add two pinches of pars- 
ley and one teaspoon of cream to each serving. 

Shamrock Croutons (Six portions) 

6 slices bread 2 T-butter 
Y A t-salt 

Cut the slices of bread half an inch thick and cut pieces out of 
each with a shamrock cooky cutter. Toast on each side until 
a delicate brown. Butter and sprinkle with salt, serve warm 
with soup. 



CHAPTER CXXVIII 
AT DINNER 

**]\ l\ ARY gave a waffle party today," announced Bettina at 

J-**- the dinner table. 

"A waffle party in the afternoon?" said Bob. "That was 
queer ! Usually at afternoon parties you women serve tiny 
little cups of tea and dainty olive sandwiches, almost too small 
to be visible ; don't you ? Waffles are more sensible, I think, 
but it seems a shame that we men had to miss such a party." 

"Well, I'm afraid I'll have to acknowledge that we had a 
very good time without you," laughed Bettina, wickedly. "It 
has been cold today, you know, and Mary's kitchen was so 
warm and bright and cozy ! We all went out there and took 
turns baking the waffles. We consumed a large number of 
them, and had a very jolly informal kind of time. We house- 
keepers compared notes and gave each other advice and really 
learned a great many things." 

-Such as " 

"Well, Alice tells me that when she makes a devil's food 
cake she removes all of the melted chocolate from the pan by 
adding a little flour which mixes in thoroughly and saves any 
waste of chocolate. Surely that is worth knowing." 

"It certainly is, though I'll admit that I don't quite under- 
stand your language." 

"Well, cheer up, Bob ! There are times when I confess that 
I don't quite understand the automobile explanations you so 
often give me of late !" 

Their dinner that evening consisted of : 

Pork Chops Mashed Potatoes 

Creamed Carrots Bettina Salad 

Orange Dessert 

Coffee 

397 



398 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Pork Chops (Two portions) 

2 pork chops i T-egg 

Yz C-cracker crumbs i T-water 
I T-bacon fat 

Wipe the chops with a damp cloth. Mix the crumbs and 
the salt. Beat the egg and the water together. Dip the chops 
in the crumbs, then in the egg mixture and then in the crumbs. 
Place the bacon fat in the frying-pan and when hot add the 
chops. Brown thoroughly on both sides, add half a cup of 
water, and cook over a moderate fire until tender. (About 
thirty minutes.) Cover with a lid while cooking. More water 
may be needed to prevent burning. 

Bettina Salad (Two portions) 

I tomato i t-salt 

1 green pepper % t-onion salt 

2 T-pimento cut in %. t-celery salt 
small pieces % t-paprika 

2 T-grated cheese Y% C-salad dressing 
2 pieces of lettuce 

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a plate. Place a slice of to- 
mato, two slices of green pepper, one tablespoon of pimento 
and one tablespoon of cheese on each serving. Mix the salad 
dressing with salt, paprika, celery and onion salts. Pour half 
of the mixture over a portion of the salad. 

Orange Dessert (Two portions) 

2 slices of sponge cake 2 T-nut meats, cut fine 
i orange 2/3 C-whipped cream 

2 T-sugar 1 t-vanilla 

Add the vanilla and the sugar to the whipped cream. Ar- 
range the slices of cake on the plates. Place one-fourth of the 
orange, divided into sections and sprinkled with sugar, on each 
slice. Pile the whipped cream on the orange. Place one table- 
spoon of nut meats and the remaining fourth of the orange 
(cut small) on each portion. Do not arrange this dessert until 
just ready to serve. 



CHAPTER CXXIX 

AN ANNIVERSARY DINNER 

*f HPHIS is some dinner, Bettina !" said Bob, over his des- 
■*■ sert. "It's like a celebration, somehow, with the 
pink candles on the table, and the flowers, and the com- 
pany menu. Why, Bettina, I do believe it is an anniver- 
sary! Isn't it? Let me see! The second anniversary of 
our engagement!" 

"I've been waiting to see if you would remember that, 
Bob, and I must say that I'm a little ashamed of you ! After 
all, it took the pink candles and the company dinner to 
make you think of it ! Well, I suppose men are all alike !" 
And she sighed the sigh of deep disillusionment. 

Bob waited for a moment to see the dimple reappear in 
her cheek, and the twinkle in her eyes, and then he, too, 
sighed — a sigh of relief. 

"Bless your heart, Bettina, don't you sigh like that again ! 
You almost had me thinking that you were in earnest. Now 
you took the very nicest way to remind me of that anniversary. 
Instead of feeling neglected like some women " 

"What do you know about 'some women/ Bob?" 

"Only what I've read in books " 

"Well, the books don't know. But I give you fair warn- 
ing, Bob, that on the next anniversary you fail to remember, 
I'll feed you bread and milk, and not chicken." 

"This is a fine dessert," said Bob meekly and tactfully. 

399 



400 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Do you like it? I enjoy making it, it looks so light and 
fluffy. I pile it very lightly into the glass dish to make it 
that way. I prefer gelatin in glass dishes, don't you, Bob?" 

"You bet I do ! Everything about this anniversary din- 
ner is fine except for my own stupidity !" 

That night Bettina served : 

Bettina's Chicken En Casserole 

Whole Wheat Bread Butter 

Cranberry Jelly 

Head Lettuce with Salad Dressing 

Bettina's Sponge 

Coffee 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Bettina's Chicken En Casserole (Two portions) 

4 pieces of chicken J / 2 C-cooked potatoes, 
2 T-flour cut in cubes 

I T-lard ]/ 2 C-cooked carrots 

I C-boiling water yi C-cooked celery 

1 t-salt i T-raw onion 

2 T-butter i t-salt 

Roll the chicken in the flour. Place the lard in the frying- 
pan, and when very hot, add the chicken, browning thor- 
oughly on all sides. Season with the salt. Place in the 
casserole and add the boiling water. Cover, and place in a 
moderate oven for one hour. Melt the butter, and when 
hot, add the potatoes, carrots, onion, celery and salt. Stir 
constantly, and when well-browned, add to the chicken 
mixture. Allow to cook for half an hour. More water may 
be needed. Serve in the casserole. 

Bettina's Sponge (Three portions) 

2 t-granulated gelatin I C-boiling water 
I T-cold water J / 2 C-whipped cream 

4 T-sugar ^ 6 cocoanut macaroons, crushed 

I T-lemon juice 8 candied cherries, cut fine 

2 T-nut meats, cut fine 

Add the cold water to the gelatin and allow it to stand 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 401 

five minutes. Add the sugar and the lemon juice. Mix 
well, and add boiling water. When thoroughly dissolved, 
allow to cool. When the mixture begins to congeal, or 
thicken, add the whipped cream, crushed macaroons, cher- 
ries and nut meats. Beat until the mixture begins to thicken. 
Pile lightly into a glass dish and set away to harden for 
one hour. 



CHAPTER CXXX 

RUTH COMES TO DINNER 

"TJOW do you like this kind of meat, Ruth?" asked Bob. 
*• ■■■ "It is a little invention of Bettina's own. I call it a 
symphony and no 'mis-steak.' " 

"It is an economy, not a symphony," said Bettina, "but 
if it leads you to make such dreadful puns as that, I'll wish 
I had fed you something else for dinner." 

"To me," said Ruth, "this dish is a delicacy and a des- 
pair. How can you think of things like this? I know I 
never could do it in the wide world !" 

"I can't compose symphonies or poems," said Bettina, 
"so I express myself in this way. And most of my music 
is played in a simple key. It is difficult to think of a variety 
of inexpensive meat dishes, and sometimes I have to invent 
them in order to keep within my allowance, and still vary 
my menus. Creamed onions are economical and healthful, 
too, so you see that my whole dinner is inexpensive." 

"And also delicious," said Ruth. "I don't see how you 
manage to keep cooked onions from having a strong smell, 
and to keep the house so free from the odor." 

"O that someone would patent 
That someone would patent and sell 
An onion with an onion taste 
And with a violet smell," 

quoted Bob. 

402 



With Bettina s Best Recipes 403 

"Well," said Bettina, "I'm afraid that a house in which 
onions have recently been cooking, can't be entirely free 
from the odor, but I largely overcome the difficulty by 
peeling them under cold water, and then cooking them in 
an uncovered vessel. Then, too, I wonder if you know that 
boiling them for five minutes and then draining them and 
covering them with boiling water again — even draining 
them twice and finishing the cooking in fresh boiling water 
— is a splendid thing for taking away the strong taste." 

"No, I didn't know that. Bettina, dear, your kind of 
apple sauce is as fine a dessert as I ever ate." 

"You're good to say so, Ruth, I was afraid when I urged 
you to stay tonight that you might think this meal very 
plain and simple for a guest, but I know it is healthful and 
economical and Bob seems to thrive, so I'll not be remorse- 
ful." 

"Just let me ask you what gives this apple sauce such a deli- 
cate flavor. It isn't a bit like common, ordinary apple 
sauce." 

"I don't know ; maybe it's the butter. I always put that 
in, and a few grains of salt. This has also a thin slice of 
lemon cooked in it — rind and all — and of course there is a 
little cinnamon, though some people prefer nutmeg. Then 
I try to be careful in putting in the sugar, for I know that 
some apples require more than others. These were tart 
apples ; I like them better for apple sauce." 

"The reason why I'm never cross 
Is 'cause I'm fed on apple sauce," 

remarked Bob complacently. 

"But I am sure you'd fret and cry 
If fed instead on apple pie," 

added Ruth. 



404 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Not Bettina' s apple pie!" said Bob decidedly. "You 
may just be sure that it would improve any disposition!" 
Dinner that night consisted of: 

Bettina Steak 

New Potatoes with Maitre d'Hotel Sauce 

Creamed Onions 

Apple Sauce 

Bread Butter 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Bettina Steak (Four portions) 

I lb. ground beef from the round y 2 t-onion juice or onion salt 

54 C-bread crumbs y 2 t-chopped green pepper 

% C-milk i t-salt 

I egg, well beaten J4 t-paprika 

Y$ t-grated nutmeg x / 2 t-chopped parsley 

Soak the crumbs in milk for three minutes, add the meat, 
egg, nutmeg, onion juice, parsley, salt, green pepper and 
paprika. Mix well. Pat into shape one and one-half inches 
thick in a well buttered tin pan. Cook five minutes under 
a very hot broiler. Turn down the heat a little and cook 
ten minutes more. Turn the steak into another buttered 
pan the same size and cook that side ten minutes. Pie 
tins may be used to cook the meat in. 

Creamed Onions (Four portions) 

6 onions iy 2 C-vegetable white sauce 

Peel six medium sized onions under cold water. Place 
in a stew-pan and cover with boiling water. Boil five min- 
utes, drain, cover again with boiling water and cook ten 
minutes. Drain, recover with boiling water and cook ten 
minutes longer or until tender. Serve with hot white sauce. 

Apple Sauce 

6 tart apples 1 thin slice of lemon 
14 C-water % t-cinnamon 

x / 2 C-sugar y 2 t-butter 

A few grains of salt 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 405 

Wash, peel, quarter and core the apples. Add the water, 
cover the kettle with a lid and cook till apples are soft. Add 
other ingredients. Cook enough longer to dissolve the 
sugar. Mash or put through a colander, if desired. 



APRIL. 

Tell me, housewife blithe and fair, 
How does your garden grow? 

Crisp and green the lettuce there, - 
Onions, row by row, 

Radishes beyond compare! 

Spring and I with tender care 
Watch them well, you know! 




e_i.». a.t=etf»-. 



aaxa 



CHAPTER CXXXI 



MILDRED'S SPRING VACATION 




tc 



i 



WAS so 
wouldn't 



afraid 
let 



Father 
me come, 



Aunt Bettina!" exclaimed Mil- 
dred, after the first greetings. 
"And your letter sounded so 
jolly — about the cooking and 
all — well, if Father had said 
'no/ I should simply have died." 
"Died, Mildred?" asked Bob. 
"I must say you look fairly 
healthy to me, too much so to 



pine away soon 



"I don't intend to die now, Uncle Bob ! I'm going to live 
and have the most fun helping Aunt Bettina ! I like that 
so much better than lessons. I brought two aprons in my 
suit case ; Mother said I acted as if I wouldn't meet anybody 
in a three day visit but your kitchen stove. And to tell the 
truth, Aunt Bettina, I just hope I won't! I'd rather help 
you cook than see sights or meet people." 

"Oh, dear !" exclaimed Bob tragically. "Just when I was 
counting on you to climb to the dome of the capitol with 
me, too! Why was I ever born?" 

"You'll have to do your climbing alone, I'm afraid," Mil- 
dred replied cheerfully. "Now, Aunt Bettina, may I set 
the table for you? Do show me what you are going to 
have for dinner! Little custards? Oh, how cunning! 
Made in moulds and served cold with maple syrup? Aunt 

407 



408 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Bettina, I just believe I could make that dessert myself! 
Will you teach me while I'm here?" 
The dinner consisted of: 



Round Steak En Casserole Baked Potatoes 

Lettuce Salad Bettina Dressing 

Steamed Custard Maple Syrup 

Coffee 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Round Steak En Casserole (Three portions) 

I lb. round steak, cut one 2 T-green pepper, cut fine 

inch thick 1 C-diced carrots 

y 2 C-flour 2 C-water 

1 T-onion, cut fine 2 t-salt 

Place the meat, which has been wiped with a damp cloth, 
upon a meat board. Cut into four pieces. Pound the flour 
into the meat on both sides, using a meat pounder or the 
side of a heavy saucer. Butter the casserole, add a layer of 
meat, then onions and green peppers. Add the carrots. 
Add the salt to the water and pour over the meat. Cover 
closely. Place in a moderate oven and allow to cook slowly for 
two hours. More water may be needed before the meat 
is done. Serve in the casserole. 

Lettuce Salad (Three portions) 

6 pieces of lettuce y 2 t-salt 
1 
Arrange the lettuce, which has been washed and chilled, 

upon three plates. Sprinkle the lettuce with salt and serve 

with the following dressing: 

Bettina Dressing 

2/3 C-salad dressing 1 T-pimento catsup 

1 t-olive oil % C-celery, cut fine 

2 T-chopped pickle 2 T-nut meats, cut fine 
1 T-chopped pimento %. t-salt 

% t-paprika 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 409 

Beat the salad dressing, add the oil, pickle, pimento, 
catsup, celery, nut meats, salt and paprika. Beat one min- 
ute. Pour three tablespoons of the mixture over each por- 
tion of the lettuce. Serve very cold. 

Steamed Custard (Four custards) 

i l / 2 C-milk Va t-salt 

2 eggs 54 t-vanilla extract 

3 T-sugar V\ t-lemon extract 

l /i t-grated nutmeg 

Beat the eggs, add the sugar, salt, vanilla, and lemon 
extract. Mix thoroughly. Butter four custard cups. Fill 
a pan four inches deep with hot (not boiling) water. Set 
the cups in the pan and place in a moderately slow oven for 
thirty-five or forty minutes (or until a knife inserted in 
the custard comes out clean). Serve cold with maple syrup 
poured over it. 



CHAPTER CXXXII 
HELPING BETTINA 

**l\/riLDRED helped me get the dinner tonight," said 

-L*J- Bettina, as they sat down at the table. 

"Indeed I did, Uncle Bob !" exclaimed the little girl de- 
lightedly. "And I'm having so much fun that I don't ever, 
ever, ever want to go home ! Aunt Bettina is going to show 
me how to make cookies tomorrow !" 

"Is she?" said Bob. "Well, don't eat 'em all up before 
I get here. Save me six fat ones, with raisins in. Don't 
forget the raisins." 

"I set the table, Uncle Bob, and I made the rice cro- 
quettes into that cunning shape, and when they w r ere fried, 
I put in the jelly! Don't they look nice?" 

"The most artistic rice croquettes, I ever ate !" declared 
Bob. 

"And wait till you see the dessert ! I fixed that ; Aunt 
Bettina showed me how. But I won't tell you what it is — 
yet. I know you'll like it, though." 

"Well, you're a great little helper, Mildred, aren't you !" 

"That's just what Aunt Bettina says. And I've learned 
so many things ! I didn't know before that it was easier 
to cut up marshmallows with the scissors than any other 
w r ay. Oh, Aunt Bettina ! I almost told him about our des- 
sert !" 

"Marshmallows? Marshmallows?" said Bob. "A clue, 

410 



With Bettina's Best Recipes 411 

I do believe ! I have it : 'Marshmallows served with scis- 
sors !' " 

"Oh, Uncle Bob, you're too funny !" cried Mildred, shout- 
ing with laughter. 

"Appreciated at last !" said Bob. 

For dinner that night they had : 

Lamb, Chops Rice Croquettes 

Creamed Peas 

Bread Butter 

Sponge Cake Whipped Cream 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Broiled Lamb Chops (Three portions) 

3 lamb chops I t-salt 
i T-butter K t-paprika 

» J /s t-parsley 

Wipe and trim the chops. Place on a hot tin pan four 
inches from a direct hot flame (under a broiler). Cook two 
minutes, turn and thoroughly cook the other side for two 
minutes. Lower the flame a little, add the salt and pepper, 
and cook for eight minutes more. (A little longer if the 
chops are very thick.) Remove to a warm platter, dot with 
butter, add the parsley and serve immediately. 

Rice Croquettes with Jelly (Three croquettes) 



i C-steamed rice 


*4 t-salt 


i egg-yolk 


i t-chopped parsley 


i T-butter 


3 T-flour 


Y% t-paprika 


2 T-grape jelly 



Mix the steamed rice, egg-yolk, butter, paprika, salt and 
parsley. Shape into flat disks one inch thick and three 
inches in diameter. Roll in flour. Make an indentation in 
the center of each with a spoon, to hold the jelly. Fry in 
hot deep fat until brown. Drain, the wrong side up. Heat 
in a hot oven and serve hot. Place a cube of jelly in the 
center of each. 



412 A Thousand Ways To Phase a Husband 

Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream (Three portions) 

3 slices of stale cake (three 3 T-cherry juice 

by three by one inch) 4 T-whipping cream 

8 marshmallows cut in cubes Yz t-vanilla 

3 T-canned cherries i l / 2 T-sugar 

Beat the cream until stiff, add the vanilla, marshmallows 
and sugar. Arrange the cake in glass sherbet dishes. Place 
a tablespoon of cherries and a tablespoon of juice on each 
slice. Place one and a half tablespoons of the whipped 
cream mixture on each portion. Allow to stand in a cold 
place for five minutes. 



CHAPTER CXXXIII 
HELPING WITH A COMPANY DINNER 

ff/^OOKING a company dinner is such fun!" sighed 

^^ Mildred. "I like the dinner part, but I always wish 
that the company would stay away at the last minute." 

"Oh, you'll like Mr. Jackson, Mildred. He's one of 
Uncle Bob's best friends, and so nice and jolly!" 

"The jolly men always like to tease, and the ones who 
aren't jolly are always cross. I don't intend to get mar- 
ried myself. I'm going to live in a nice little bungalow like 
this one and do my own cooking." 

"Will you live all alone?" asked Bettina. 

"I'll adopt some children — seven or eight, I think, — all 
girls. I don't want any boys around." 

"Your bungalow will have to be larger than this to accom- 
modate them all if you adopt seven or eight." 

"I don't want a large one ; that would spoil the fun. I'll 
let the children take turns sleeping on the floor. Children 
always love to sleep on the floor, and mothers never like 
to have them do it ! I wonder why? Now, will you let 
me brown the flour for the gravy?" 

"Yes, dear. Put half a cup of white flour in that frying- 
pan over the fire and keep stirring it constantly until it is a 
nice brown color, about like powdered cinnamon." 

"This way?" 

"Yes, Mildred ; a little darker than that, but keep stirring 
it so that it won't burn. There, that's exactly right !" 

That evening Bettina served : 

413 



414 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Leg of Lamb with Browned Potatoes 

Gravy 

Lettuce and Egg Salad 

Strawberry Shortcake Cream 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Leg of Lamb and Browned Potatoes (Four portions) 

3 lb. leg of lamb Y\ t-paprika 

6 potatoes 2 T-bacon fat 

i T-salt 1/3 C-boiling water 

Allow the lamb to stand in cold water for ten minutes. 
Remove and wipe dry. Place the fat in a frying-pan. Add 
the meat and cook until thoroughly browned on all sides. 
Place in the tireless cooker (or a slow oven) and surround 
the meat with the potatoes. Sprinkle with the salt and 
paprika. Add the water. (If in the cooker, place the heated 
disks under and over the meat.) Cook two hours. 

Gravy (Four portions) 

4 T-browned flour ~% t-white pepper 
1 T-butter i l / 2 C-meat stock and 

1 t-salt water 

Remove the meat from the pan in which it was cooked 
^also remove the potatoes) and add sufficient water to the 
stock in the pan to make one and a half cups all together. 
Melt the butter, add the browned flour and a tablespoon of 
the stock. Mix well, and add the salt and pepper. Add the 
remaining stock ; cook, stirring constantly for two minutes. 
Pour into a heated gravy dish. Serve at once. 

Egg and Lettuce Salad (Four portions) 

8 pieces of lettuce 2 t-salt 

4 hard-cooked eggs y 2 t-paprika 

4 radishes yi t-celery salt 

4 young onions 8 T-salad dressing 

Arrange two pieces of lettuce on each plate. Slice an 
egg, a radish and an onion and arrange these upon the 
lettuce leaves. Sprinkle each portion with a fourth of the 
seasoning. Place two tablespoons of salad dressing on each 
portion. Have all the ingredients cold before combining. 



CHAPTER CXXXIV 
MILDRED'S DAY 

f*T HELPED to make the cunning little biscuits, Uncle 

•*• Bob," explained Mildred at dinner. 

"You did?" said Bob, feigning astonishment. "You rolled 
them out with a rolling pin, I suppose, and " 

"Oh, no, Uncle Bob ! You ought never to use a rolling 
pin, Aunt Bettinasays !" said Mildred in a horrified tone, as 
if she had been cooking for the First Families for a score 
of years. "Good cooks always pat down the dough — they 
never roll it out." 

"Well, what do you do first? Stir up the dough with a 
spoon?" 

"No, indeed ; you use a knife. Then you pat the dough 
down, and cut out the dear little biscuits with a biscuit 
cutter." 

"And put them side by side in a nicely buttered pan? I 
know how !" 

"But you don't butter the pan," said Mildred trium- 
phantly. "Or flour it, either. Aunt Bettina says that lots 
of people think the pan has to be buttered or floured, but 
they're wrong. It's lots better to put the biscuits into a nice 
clean pan." 

"But don't they stick to it, and burn?" 

"No, indeed ! They don't burn a bit ! Look at these !" 
said Mildred, delighted to find the opportunity to impart 
some of her newly acquired knowledge. 

"Well, what else did you help Aunt Bettina to make?" 

415 



416 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"These nice stuffed onions. It was fun to make them, 
even though I don't like onions. I ground up the dry 
bread that Aunt Bettina keeps in the jar by the stove." 

"Well, you can tell Mother Polly that Aunt Bettina will 
make a good cook of you yet !" 

For dinner that night they had : 

Rolled Stuffed Steak Potatoes au Gratin 

Stuffed Onions 

Sour Cream Biscuits Currant Jelly 

Sliced Bananas Cream 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Stuffed Onions (Four portions) 

4 onions I t-parsley 

y 2 C-bread crumbs i T-pimento 
i T-tomato pulp i egg-yolk 
i T-butter J4 C-cooked celery 

y 2 t-salt 

Wash and peel the onions. Cook for ten minutes in boil- 
ing water. Rinse with cold water to make them firm. 
Push out the centers. Place the onions in a well-buttered 
baking pan and fill each onion with filling. Place in a 
moderate oven for twenty minutes. 

Filling 

Mix the crumbs, tomato pulp, butter, parsley, pimento, 
salt, egg yolks and celery. Cook for one minute. Fill each 
onion case carefully with the mixture. Then pour the 
following sauce about the onions before placing them in the 
oven: 

White Sauce (Four portions) 

2 T-butter Y A t-salt 
2 T-flour i/6 t-paprika 
i C-milk 

Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and paprika. Mix 
well, add the milk, and cook for one minute. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 417 

Sour Cream Biscuits (Four portions) 

2 C-flour 3 T-fat 
y 2 t-salt X A t-soda 

3 t-baking powder 2/z C-sour milk 

Mix the flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in the fat 
with a knife. Add the soda to the milk, and when the 
effervescing ceases, add slowly to the dry ingredients. (All 
the milk may not be needed.) When a soft dough is 
formed, toss onto a floured board. Pat into shape, cut 
with a biscuit cutter, and place side by side on a tin pan or 
baking sheet. Bake fifteen minutes in a moderately hot 
oven. 



CHAPTER CXXXV 
POLLY COMES FOR MILDRED 

f f QO you've been teaching Mildred to cook?" asked Polly 

^ as they sat down to dinner. 

"Oh, Mother, I've learned so much !" cried Mildred with 
enthusiasm. "And when I'm married, I'm going to have a 
dear little kitchen just like Aunt Betty's ! Aunt Betty does 
know the very best way to do everything ! Why, Mother, 
I think she's a better cook even than Selma, and not half 
so cross when I bother !" 

"Bother!" said Bettina. "Why, Mildred, you've been a 
real help to me!" 

"I hope so," laughed Polly, "but I'm not so sure. Chil- 
dren never worry me — it's fortunate, isn't it? — but I don't 
see how on earth anyone can cook with a child in the 
kitchen ! I wanted Selma to teach Mildred, but I hadn't 
the heart to insist when she objected to the plan." 

"H— m, Selma !" said Mildred with scorn. "Why, Mother, 
Selma doesn't even know enough to line her cake pans with 
waxed paper ! She butters 'em ! And I don't believe we 
have a spatula in the whole house !" 

"A — what?" said Polly in a puzzled tone. "I don't be- 
lieve I " 

"Don't you know what a spatula is, Mother?" asked 
Mildred didactically. "W T hy, it's one of those flattened out 
spoon-things to use in the kitchen. We ought to have one. 
And — Mother, you ought to see how much mayonnaise 
Aunt Bettina makes at a time ! It'll keep, you know." 

418 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 419 

"Goodness!" said Polly tragically. "What a dreadful 
thing it will be to live with a child who knows more than 
I do !" 

For dinner that night they had : 

Veal Chops 

Baked Potatoes Escalloped Onions 

Bread Butter 

Mocha Cake Mocha Icing 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Escalloped Onions (Four portions) 

1 C-onions i t-salt 

i qt. water % t-pepper 

2 T-butter I C-milk 

2 T-flour J4 C-buttered crumbs 

Wash and peel the onions. Cook in one quart of water. 
Allow to boil five minutes. Change the water and continue 
boiling ten minutes. Change the water again, and when 
thoroughly cooked (about fifteen minutes more), remove 
from the fire and drain. 

Melt the butter, add the flour and salt and mix thor- 
oughly. Add the milk and cook one minute. Add the 
onions, and pour the mixture into a well-buttered baking 
dish. Place the buttered crumbs on the top of the onions 
and bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. 

Mocha Cake (Twelve portions) 

1/3 C-butter i C-strong coffee 

1 C-sugar y 2 t-vanilla 

2 eggs 2 C-flour 

3 t-baking powder 

Cream the butter, add the sugar and cream the mixture, add 
the egg-yolks, mix well and add the coffee, vanilla, flour and 
baking powder. Beat two minutes. Add the stiffly beaten egg- 
whites. Pour the mixture into two layer-cake pans pre- 
pared with waxed paper. Bake twenty-five minutes in a 
moderate oven. When cool, spread with the mocha icing. 



420 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Mocha Icing (Twelve portions) 

4 T-strong boiling coffee i t-vanilla 
\Yz C-powdered sugar 

Mix the vanilla with the coffee. Add the powdered sugar 
slowly until the proper consistency to spread. Spread over 
one layer and place the upper layer on the lower. Place the 
icing on the top layer and on the sides. More sugar may 
be needed. 



CHAPTER CXXXVI 
MILDRED'S PLANS 

**T SUPPOSE that when we get home again, Mildred 

■*• will be insisting that we reorganize our household 
along the lines of yours, Bettina," laughed Polly. "I can 
just hear Selma's outbursts at the idea of any changes in 
her department." 

"But you can always smile Selma out of her 'spells/ 
Mother," coaxed Mildred. "And just think, Selma doesn't 
even know what a fireless cooker is ! We'll have to explain 
it to her." 

"What can you make in a fireless cooker, Mildred?" 
asked Polly of her little daughter, who was fairly bursting 
with her newly acquired information. 

"Oh, Mother, this roast ! Isn't it good? Aunt Betty kept 
it in the cooker almost four hours, and think how much 
gas that saved !" 

"Well, I'll admit that such an item would appeal to your 
father, Mildred," Polly replied, "so I think I'll leave it to 
you to get around him and Selma. I'm sure," she con- 
tinued, turning to Bob, "that such an undertaking can rea- 
sonably be expected to occupy Mildred for some time. But 
I do like the roast." 

"The roast?" said Bob. "It is good, Polly, but you 
needn't think that this is a company meal, especially. Why, 
Bettina gives me company dinners every day!" 

For dinner that night they had : 

Pot Roast Gravy 

Boiled Rice 

Apple and Nut Salad 

Chocolate Pie 

Coffee 

421 



422 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Pot Roast (Four portions) 

2 x / 2 lbs. of beef (a 2 t-salt 

rump roast y 2 t-pepper 

2 T-bacon drippings l /± C-diced carrots 

3 T-flour 5^ C-diced turnips 

1 bay leaf 2 T-chopped onions 

4 cloves Y^ C-celery 



/ «* — — 
3 C-boiling water 



Place the bacon drippings in a frying-pan. Roll the beef 
in the flour, and when the fat is hot, add the beef and 
brown thoroughly on all sides. Place the meat in a kettle, 
and add the vegetables. Pour the water in the frying-pan 
to remove any fat. Pour all over the meat. Add the bay 
leaf, cloves and salt. Cover closely and allow to cook very 
slowly for three and a half hours. Turn the meat after the 
second hour. This is a good nreless cooker recipe. 

Gravy 

1 C-stock 1 T-flour 
1 T-water 

Remove the meat from the kettle. Strain the stock into 
a bowl. To the flour, add the water. Mix well, and grad- 
ually add the stock. Mix and cook one minute. Pour the 
gravy over the meat and reserve the remaining stock and 
vegetables for soup. 

Soup 

Strain the vegetables through the strainer, pressing thor- 
oughly to remove all the pulp. Add the stock and one-half 
a cup of water. Reheat and serve for dinner with croutons 
or salted wafers. 

Rice 

y 2 C-rice 1 t-salt 

2 C-boiling water % t-paprika 
1 T-butter 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 423 

When the water is boiling, add the salt. Add the rice 
and allow it to boil twenty minutes. More water may be 
needed. Stir occasionally with a fork. Pour into a strainer, 
and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Toss into a buttered 
vegetable dish. Sprinkle with paprika and dot with butter. 
Set in a moderate oven for fifteen minutes. 



CHAPTER CXXXVII 
A LUNCHEON FOR POLLY 

f f 'VTOW that this delicious little luncheon is over, Bet- 

-*■ ^ tina," said Alice, "I want to ask you something. 
How did you make the croquettes that cunning shape?" 

"With a conical ice cream mould, Alice," Bettina an- 
swered. "It is very simple. And I'll tell you another thing. 
I made those croquettes yesterday, not today." 

"You don't mean that you fried them yesterday?" 

"Yes, I did, Alice. In deep fat." 

"But they were warm, not cold." 

"Yes, for I reheated them in the oven a few minutes be- 
fore I served them. They really are as good as new when 
treated that way. I had always supposed that croquettes 
had to be served immediately after they were fried, and you 
know frying in deep fat is really a nuisance when it has to 
be done at the last minute. For instance, today I had the 
biscuits to make, and the soup and sweet potatoes to pre- 
pare. And I believe in being leisurely when giving a 
luncheon, so I certainly would not serve croquettes if they 
had to be made that day. I tried reheating them once when 
Bob and I were here alone and discovered that they were 
delicious. So I've always, ever since, fried my croquettes 
the day before." 

"Hereafter I'll serve croquettes at luncheon myself," said 
Alice. "You have taught me something." 

For luncheon that day Bettina served: 

424 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 425 

Cream of Pea Soup Toasted Sticks 

Pork Croquettes Glazed Sweet Potatoes 

Creamed Green Beans 

Biscuit Cherry Butter 

Head Lettuce French Dressing 

Date Pudding Cream 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Cream of Pea Soup (Four portions) 

i C-peas 2 T-butter 

i C-water 2 C-milk 
Y^ t-sugar 1 t-salt 

2 T-flour *%, t-paprika 

Cook the peas, water and sugar slowly for fifteen minutes. 
Strain, and rub all the pulp through the strainer. Melt the 
butter, add the flour, salt and paprika. Mix thoroughly and 
gradually add the milk. Boil one minute and add the pulp 
and liquid from the peas. Cook one minute. Serve in hot 
soup plates or bouillon cups. 

Toasted Sticks (Four portions) 

3 slices of bread 1 T-butter 
y 2 t-salt 

Cut the slices of bread one-half an inch thick. Butter, 
and sprinkle with salt. Cut into strips, the length of the 
slice and half an inch wide. Place on a tin pan, and cook 
directly under a fire or in an oven until a delicate brown. 
Serve warm. 

Ground Pork Croquettes (Four croquettes) 

1 C-chopped, cooked pork y 2 T-butter 

^ t-paprika 1 T-flour 

*4 t-celery salt 1/3 C-milk 

y% t-onion salt 1/3 C-crumbs 

y A t-salt 2 T-egg 

1 T-pimento, cut fine 1 T-water 

Melt the butter, add the flour, paprika, celery salt, onion 
salt, salt and pimento. Gradually add the milk and cook 
thoroughly for one minute. Add the meat and allow the 



426 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

mixture to cool. When cool, shape into the desired shape, 
preferably conical. Roll in the crumbs, dip in the egg and 
water mixed, then dip in the crumbs and allow to stand 
for fifteen minutes or more. Fry in deep fat. 

Date Pudding (Four portions) 

2 egg-whites i t-baking powder 

y 2 C-sugar y 2 C-dates, cut fine 

4 T-flour y 2 C-nut meats, cut fine 

l / 8 t-salt Ya t-vanilla 

Beat the egg whites thoroughly, add the sugar, flour, salt 
and baking powder. Mix well, add the dates, nuts and 
vanilla. Pile lightly in a well-buttered baking-dish. Place 
the dish in a pan of hot water and bake thirty minutes in 
a moderate oven. Allow the pudding to remain in the oven 
a little while after the heat is turned off. If cooled slowly, 
it will not fall. The pudding may be baked in individual 
moulds if preferred, and may be served with whipped cream. 



CHAPTER CXXXVIII 
FURS TO PUT AWAY 

«A PENNY for your thoughts !" 

-**■ Bettina started in surprise. "Why, Ruth, I didn't 
see you coming up the walk !" 

"I knew you didn't. But what on earth are you doing out 
here on your front steps? Enjoying the weather?" 

"Indeed I am ! Isn't it a wonderful spring day? But my 
thoughts weren't very poetic, I must admit. I was just 
wondering if it was too early to put away my furs for the 
summer. I'm always tempted to do that when the first 
signs of spring appear, and then I'm generally sorry a few 
days later." 

"I'll have to put mine away soon, too. Do tell me, Bet- 
tina, just how you go about it." 

"Well, I always hang mine in the sun for a while, then I 
beat them well, comb them out with a steel comb, and 
wrap them up." 

"With moth-balls?" 

"That is a good way, but not at all necessary. I always 
wrap mine in a newspaper — a good tight package. Moths 
don't like printer's ink, you know, and furs so wrapped are 
perfectly safe." 

"Then, Bettina, you don't need to add that you label the 
package, for I know that you do, you thoroughly thorough 
housekeeper !" 

Bettina laughed. "Well, Ruth, I do label it. Labelled 
packages are so much better to have, for very often you 
need to get something out in a hurry." 

For dinner that night Bettina served: 

427 



428 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Broiled Steak Lyonnaise Potatoes 

Bean Salad 

Bread Butter 

Date Rocks Coffee 

BETTINAS RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Lyonnaise Potatoes (Two portions) 

2 T-onion 
2 T-butter 
x /\ t-paprika 
Vz t-salt 
I C-cold boiled potatoes, cut in y 2 -'mch cubes 
i t-chopped parsley- 
Place one tablespoon of butter in a frying-pan and when 
hot add the onion. Let the onion cook until it is brown. 
Add the salt and parsley, the rest of the butter, the potatoes 
and the paprika. Stir well. Cook until the potatoes are 
well browned. 

Bean Salad (Two portions) 

i C-kidney beans i t-salt 

x / 2 C-celery, cut fine 3 T-chopped pickle 

2 T-nut meats 1/3 C-salad dressing 

2 pieces of lettuce 

Mix the beans, celery, nut meats, green pepper, pickles 
and salt. Add the salad dressing. Serve very cold on 
lettuce leaves. 

Date Rocks 

1 C-sugar 1 t-cinnamon 

y 2 C-lard and butter mixed y 2 t-powdered cloves 

1^2 C-flour y 2 t-vanilla 

y 2 t-baking powder y 2 C-dates, cut fine 

2 eggs y 2 C-nut meats, cut fine 

y% t-salt 

Cream the butter and lard, add the sugar, and mix well. 
Add the two eggs well beaten. Mix and sift thoroughly 
the flour, baking powder, salt, cloves and cinnamon. Add 
the dates and nuts. Stir these dry ingredients into the 
first mixture. Add the vanilla. Mix thoroughly and drop 
from the end of the spoon upon a well larded and floured 
baking pan. Bake fifteen minutes in a moderate oven. 



CHAPTER CXXXIX 
PLANNING A CHILDREN'S PARTY 

ft/^F course, I'll help you, Ruth," said Bettina. "I'd 

^J love to. A children's party ! What fun it will be ! 
How many children will be there?" 

"Twelve or fifteen, I think. Now let me tell you Ralph's 
own idea for entertainment. I suppose I'm a doting aunt, 
but it sounds very possible to me." 

"Did Ralph suggest the kind of a party he wished? Well, 
isn't he a clever boy ! And he's only eleven years old, 
too." 

"He suggested that the invitations invite the children to 
a circus. You see, we could write a little rhyme to that 
effect on animal paper, or with an animal picture pasted in 
the corner. When the children arrive, we'll have the parade. 
We'll have ready the horns, drums, and so forth, for the 
band, and some of the children will represent the various 
wild animals. The parade will lead to the refreshment table 
(after some circus games, perhaps), which will be set out- 
doors if it is warm enough. The table must represent a 
circus ground (I've seen those paper circuses downtown, 
haven't you?), and the- refreshments must carry out the 
scheme. So, Bettina, do help us to plan the details !" 

Bettina's dinner that night consisted of: 

Sliced Ham and Potatoes en Casserole 

Baked Creamed Cabbage 

Bread Butter 

Plum Pudding 

Cocoanut Pudding 

429 



430 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RfeCIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Sliced Ham and Potatoes en Casserole (Four portions) 

I lb. slice of ham two- 12 cloves 

thirds of an inch thick Y\ t-paprika 

4 new potatoes 1 t-chopped parsley 

1 C-water 2 T-flour 

Have a frying-pan very hot. Add the ham and brown 
thoroughly on both sides. Add the water and let boil for 
one minute. Remove the ham. Stick the cloves into it, 
and place it in the bottom of a casserole. Add the parsley 
and paprika to the water in the pan, and pour the liquid 
over the meat. Cover and bake in a moderate oven for half 
an hour. Roll the potatoes (which have been washed and 
peeled) in the flour, and add to the casserole. Baste with 
the liquid. Cover and cook three-fourths of an hour. Serve 
in the casserole. 

Creamed Cabbage Baked (Four portions) 

3 C-cabbage, cut or chopped fine 1 t-salt 

1 qt. water 1 C-milk 

3 T-flour Y^ C-cracker or dry bread crumbs 

2 T-butter 1 T-butter 

Wash the cabbage and chop into half inch pieces. Cook 
in boiling water fifteen minutes. Drain and rinse with cold 
water. Make a white sauce by melting the butter, adding 
the flour and salt, and then adding the milk. Cook two 
minutes, stirring constantly. Add the cabbage, and pour 
into a well-buttered open baking dish. Melt the one table- 
spoon of butter, add the crumbs and mix well. Spread the 
buttered crumbs over the top of the cabbage. Bake fifteen 
minutes in a moderate oven. Serve in the dish. 

Cocoanut Pudding (Four portions) 

1 C-milk y 2 t-lemon extract 

Y A t-salt y 2 t-vanilla 

3 T-corn starch 3 T-cocoanut 
2 T-sugar 

Mix the corn starch and salt in the upper part of the 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 431 

double boiler. Add the milk slowly, stirring all the time. 
Add the sugar. Place the upper in the lower part of the 
double boiler and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent 
lumping. When very thick, add the egg-yolk, the vanilla 
and lemon extracts and the cocoanut. Beat one minute. 
Cook again for three minutes. Place in a buttered baking 
dish. Beat the egg-white and when very stiff, add the two 
tablespoons of sugar. Pile lightly on the top of the pud- 
ding and place in a moderate oven for ten minutes to brown 
the meringue. 



CHAPTER CXL 
THE PARTY CIRCUS 

RUTH and Bettina led "the parade," the band at its 
head, to the cheerful sunroom, where the table had 
been set. At sight of the "party" spread before them, the 
young musicians and the others gave a sudden shriek of 
delight. 

"It's a circus !" explained Ralph to curly-headed Margery, 
who was adding her own piping voice to the general din. 

A small American flag floated from a flag pole in the 
center of the table, and around it were arranged paper 
circus tents and circus wagons of the five and ten cent 
store variety. Animal crackers were all about, and the 
animal sandwiches and animal cakes in flat baskets looked 
almost too real to be eaten. 

Smooth boards on supports represented circus seats, and 
on these the children soon clambered, eager to eat as chil- 
dren always are. 

The paper napkins, decorated with animals, were folded 
before the places to represent tents. The salad faces, which 
Ralph called "clowns," leered up from the plates. 

But the joy was not to be all in seeing. There was a 
favor for each child to carry away, the favors from the 
table being claimed by matching the numbers on each one 
with a corresponding number on the pieces of candy passed 
at the close of the meal. 

The refreshments consisted of: 

432 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 433 

Clown Salad Animal Sandwiches 

Picnic Lemonade 

Brick Ice Cream Fancy Cakes 

Candies 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Sandwiches (Forty) 

3 loaves bread 3 hard-cooked eggs 

y 2 lb. butter 3 T-chopped pickles 

\ l / 2 C-ham, minced or ground fine 2/3 C-salad dressing 

1/3 t-salt 

Chop the ham, eggs and pickles very fine. Add the salt 
and salad dressing. Cut the bread very thin and match the 
pieces in pairs. Spread one of a pair with the ham mixture 
and spread the other side with butter which has been mixed 
and softened with a wooden spoon. Place the two pieces 
of bread together and press firmly. Moisten the cooky 
cutter with water and cut evenly the desired shape. 

Clown Salad (Twelve portions) 

12 rounds of sliced pineapple 24 filberts 
12 T-salad dressing 2 canned pimentos 

12 pieces of lettuce 

Wash the lettuce carefully. Roll and cut into fine shreds. 
Arrange a portion on each serving plate. Place a slice of 
pineapple on each portion and very carefully place the salad 
dressing on it so that it just covers the circle of pineapple. 
Arrange two filberts on top to represent eyes, and cut the 
pimento in a strip to represent the mouth. Cut small triangu- 
lar pieces of pimento to represent the nose. Arrange these as 
features on the pineapple and serve at once. 

Fancy Cakes (Eighteen cakes) 

y 2 C-butter y 2 C-milk 

1 C-sugar 1% C-flour 

8 egg-yolks 2 t-baking powder 

2 t-lemon extract 

Cream the butter, add the sugar and mix well. Beat the 
egg-yolks until very thick, and add to the first mixture. 



434 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Mix and sift together the flour and baking-powder and add 
the milk alternately with the flour mixture, beating well. 
Beat two minutes after mixing. Add the extract. Pour to 
the thickness of one inch into flat pans lined with buttered 
paper. Bake twelve minutes in a moderate oven. Remove 
from the fire and when cool, cut into shapes with fancy 
animal cutters. The individual cakes may be iced if de- 
sired. ■ 



CHAPTER CXLI 
PLANNING A LUNCHEON 

^TT won't be hard, Ruth, if you plan it out in detail 

■*■ several days before. Decide on the menu, and if you 
find that some one dish is going to cause more trouble than 
it's worth, plan something else in its place." 

"If it weren't for Aunt Gertrude I shouldn't worry at all, 
but she is such a wonderful housekeeper ! And I am de- 
termined that Mother sha'n't have one bit of the responsi- 
bility. She's to feel herself just as much a guest as Aunt 
Gertrude." 

"I think it's a lovely thing for you to do, Ruth. Now 
let me tell you how I think you should go about it. Make 
a visit to your grocery store or to the market tomorrow, 
and notice the good things that are in sea ■ n and inexpen- 
sive. Build your menu around them. When you get home, 
sit down with a paper and pencil and plan everything out. 
Go into detail, even if it takes several hours of planning. 
It will be well worth it. I don't mean by that an elaborate 
luncheon ; it ought to be a simple and delicious one, but 
complete in every detail. When I plan, I write down the 
things that I can do the day before, and even the day before 
that. You know there are always so many things to see to 
— polishing the silver and writing the name cards and see- 
ing that the table linen is in order. It ought to be planned 
so that the day of the party won't be crowded full of 'last 
minute things.' Come into the kitchen with me, Ruth; I 
must baste my pork tenderloin." 

That night Bettina served : 

'435 



436 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Pork Tenderloin Baked Potatoes 

Bread Butter 

Raspberry Jam 

Vegetable Salad Salad Dressing 

Tapioca Pudding 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Pork Tenderloin (Three portions) 

1 lb. pork tenderloin % t-paprika 

i t-salt i t-chopped parsley 

2 T-water i T-lemon juice 

Have the tenderloin cut in two-inch pieces and flattened. 
Place these in a small baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and 
paprika and add the water. Cover, and cook in a moderate 
oven for thirty-five minutes. Turn and baste frequently. 
When done, place on a heated platter, pour the parsley and 
lemon juice over the top and serve immediately. 

Vegetable Salad (Three portions) 

i tomato i t-salt 

9 slices of cucumber % t-paprika 
2 T-chopped onion 2 T-chopped green pepper 

i T-chopped pimento 2 T-nut meats 
3 lettuce leaves 

Wash the lettuce carefully and arrange on individual serv- 
ing dishes. Place upon each lettuce leaf a slice of tomato, 
three slices of cucumber and one-third of each of the other 
ingredients. Sprinkle with salt and paprika. Pour the 
salad dressing over the top and serve very cold. 

Bettina Salad Dressing 

2 egg-yolks T /\. C-vinegar 

i T-sugar 1/3 C-sour cream 

y 2 t-salt 2 T-pimento liquor (the 

2 T-flour juice from the can) 

Beat the egg-yolks, add the sugar, salt and flour. Mix 
well and add the vinegar, pimento liquor and water. Cook 
in a double boiler until very thick. When cool, add the 
sour cream, and pour over the salad. 



CHAPTER CXLII 
THE NEW CAR 

**T^° stay t0 dinner > Rutn '" begged Bettina. "Bob is 

•■--' going to drive the new car out when he comes, 
and we'll have him take us for a spin after dinner." 

"Oh, Bettina, has Bob really bought it? Will you really 
have a car of your own ?" 

"Yes, indeed, we will. I can hardly realize it myself, 
and although I'm so happy over it, I have a little haunting 
fear that perhaps it is too great an extravagance. But 
we'll enjoy it so !" 

"Of course you will. I'm so glad ! Won't the summer 
be delightful when you can get out into the country every 
day !" 

"Ruth, you must stay to dinner and see the car for your- 
self! I planned a special little celebration dinner, a kind 
of salad that Bob particularly likes, and a good dessert, 
too. And now, if you'll come into the kitchen with me, I'll 
show you how to make peanut butter rolls. You never 
heard of them? Well, they're a little like pin wheel biscuit. 
Don't you remember the pinwheel biscuit that I make some- 
times — baking powder biscuit dough rolled out and spread 
with butter and sugar and cinnamon — then rolled up and 
cut like cinnamon rolls and baked?" 

"Of course, I remember, Bettina ! They're the best little 
things, and so easy to make !" 

"Well, these peanut butter rolls are like them, but spread 

437 



438 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

with butter and peanut butter. Come into the kitchen and 
I'll show you how they're made." 
For dinner they had : 

Lamb Chops Sauted Potatoes 

Creamed Peas 

Peanut Butter Rolls 

Pear Salad Cheese Wafers 

Chocolate Pie 

Coffee 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Peanut Butter and Fruit Rolls (Eight rolls) 

\y 2 C-flour y 2 C-milk 

3 t-baking powder 2 T-peanut butter 

2 T-lard 3 T-currants 
y A t-salt y 2 T-butter 

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt thoroughly, cut 
in the lard with a knife until the consistency of cornmeal. 
Add the milk, mxing with a knife until a soft dough is 
formed. More milk may be needed ; this depends on the 
consistency of the flour. Pat int<? a rectangular shape, on 
a floured board or on a paper. The dough should be half 
an inch thick. Cream the butter, add the peanut butter 
and spread on the biscuit dough. Sprinkle the currants on, 
the top. Roll up carefully, over and over like a cinnamon 
roll. Cut off pieces half an inch wide and pat them down 
in a tin pan. Bake eighteen minutes in a moderate oven. 

Pear Salad (Three portions) 

3 halves of pears 2 T-nut meats 
y 2 C-cottage cheese 2 dates, cut fine 

yi t-salt 1 T-pimento, cut fine 

y& t-paprika 5 T-salad dressing 

3 lettuce leaves 

Mix the cottage cheese, salt, paprika, nut meats, dates 
and pimento thoroughly. Add two tablespoons of salad 
dressing. Arrange the pears on the lettuce leaves and 
place one tablespoon of the mixture on each portion. Place 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 439 

a tablespoon of salad dressing on the top. Serve very 
cold. 

Cheese Wafers 

6 salted wafers y 2 T-pimento, cut fine 

y 2 T-butter % t-salt 

2 T-yellow cream cheese Y% t-paprika 

Cream the butter, add the cheese, pimento, salt and 
paprika and mix into a paste. Spread carefully on top of 
the wafers. Place in a moderate oven until a delicate 
brown. Serve with the salad. 



MAY. 



Scrub and polish, — sweep and clean,- 
Fling your windows wide! 

See, the trees are clad in green! 
Coax the spring inside! 

Home, be shining fair to-day 

For the guest whose name is May! 




.z-satseJ-Hi Colbqrxa 



CHAPTER CXLIII 
IN HOUSECLEANING TIME 



l"G 



OODNESS gracious, 
Ruth!" said Bettina. 
"Surely it can't be half-past 
five already !" 

"Yes, it is, Bettina. Exactly 
that!" said Ruth, glancing at 
her tiny wrist watch. "But 
Bob won't be home till six, will 
he?" 

"No, but I want to have din- 
^^*^"" Js^^^^B ner rea( iy when he arrives. 

You see, as I told you before, I simply shouldn't have gone 
to Mary's this afternoon. My curtains are down and my 
rugs are up, and my house isn't an attractive place for a 
man to come home to, to say the least. And then to come 
straight from a party and give Bob a pick-up lunch instead 

of a full meal, will be " 

"The last straw? What had you planned for lunch?" 
"Well, I have some soup all made, ready to reheat. Then 
I think I'll have banana salad, tea, and hot baking-powder 
biscuits." 

"De-licious !" said Ruth, with a Teddy-fied grin. "I be- 
lieve I'll invite myself to stay!" 

"Good! You can make the salad while I'm mixing the 
biscuits. I also have some chocolate cookies, and I'll open 

a jar of canned peaches " 

"And I'll be so bright and scintillating that old Bobbie 
won't even miss the curtains and the rugs!" 
That night Bettina served: 

441 



442 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Bettina Soup Oyster Crackers 

Banana Salad 

Hot Biscuits 

Canned Peaches Chocolate Cookies 

Tea 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Bettina Soup (Three portions) 

3 C-meat stock (left over) i T-sliced onion 
y 2 C-cooked rice y 2 t-salt 

y 2 C-tomato pulp Y\ t-paprika 

3 celery leaves 

Add the rice, tomato pulp, onion, salt, paprika and celery 
leaves to the meat stock. Cook for twenty minutes over a 
slow fire. Strain and serve in hot soup dishes or bouillon 
cups. 

Banana Salad (Three portions) 

2 bananas i T-lemon juice 

y 2 C-shelled peanuts, y 2 t-salt 

broken in halves % t-paprika 

y 2 C-celery, cut small J / 2 C-salad dressing 

3 lettuce leaves 

Cut the bananas in one-fourth inch cubes. Add the lemon 
juice, mixing thoroughly. Add the peanuts, celery, salt and 
paprika. Add the salad dressing, mixing lightly with a 
silver fork. Pile on the lettuce leaves which have been 
washed and arranged on a serving dish. Serve immediately. 

Baking Powder Biscuits (Eight biscuits) 

1-54 C-flour Y A t-salt 

3 t-baking powder iy 2 T-lard 
y 2 C-milk 

Mix and sift well the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut 
in the lard with a knife until the consistency of cornmeal. 
Add the milk slowly, stirring with a knife until the dough 
is soft enough to be handled without sticking to the fingers. 
Place on a floured board, pat into shape, with the hands, to 
a thickness of two-thirds of an inch. Cut with a biscuit 
cutter. Place the biscuits side by side in a tin pan. Bake 
in a moderate oven fifteen minutes. Serve on a folded 
napkin. 



CHAPTER CXLIV 
MRS. DIXON HAPPENS IN 

f*T MUST hurry home to get dinner," said Mrs. Dixon. 

■*- "See, Bettina, I've been to the market! Isn't this a 
fine big cantaloupe? I have two more just like it. Frank 

is very fond of them, but " she added ruefully, "I like 

them cold, of course, and after I've fixed them and had them 
in the refrigerator a while, everything in it — milk, butter 
and eggs — has the cantaloupe taste !" 

"I'll tell you how you can prevent that, Charlotte. Of 
course they must be very cold when served, but I never 
prepare them till just before the meal. I put them in the 
ice box whole, in a paper sack, taking care that the mouth 
of the sack is closed. They become very cold that way, 
and at the same time can't affect the other food." 

"I'm so glad you told me that, Bettina. I've learned a 
great many things from you, haven't I? Oh, yes, another 
thing puzzles me. I like chipped ice served in and with 
the cantaloupe, and I don't own any tool for preparing the 
ice. I do fix it somehow, of course, but I've wondered how 
other people manage." 

"Well, there are regular ice shavers, you know; but I 
haven't one, either. I keep a salt sack that I use for that 
purpose whenever I need just a little chipped ice. It isn't 
hard to break off a piece small enough to go in a salt sack ; 
in fact, you usually have one in your ice box already. I 
put it in the sack and break it fine with the flat side of a 
small hatchet." 

443 



444 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

"Well, I've learned something more, and I'll use the 
knowledge tomorrow evening. I must be going now. How 
lovely those asters are on your dinner table ! They seem 
to prophesy an especially good meal! Do tell me what you 
are going to have ! I never can think of a variety — simple 
meat dishes are my bugbear." 

"We have veal chops for tonight — just plain veal chops 
and boiled new potatoes and carrots with Bechamel sauce." 

"Gracious me ! Here comes Bob. I must hurry along or 
Frank will be home before I am." 

Bettina's dinner that evening was made up of: 



Veal Chops 


New Potatoes 


Carrots 


Bechamel Sauce 


Bread 


Butter 


Peaches 


Custard Sauce 



BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Veal Chops (Two portions) 

2 chops Y\ t-paprika 
i t-salt 4 T-flour 
i T-fat 

Trim and wipe chops one-half inch thick, which are cut 
from the thick part of the leg. Season with salt and pepper 
and roll in flour. Put the fat (bacon fat or lard) in the 
pan, and when hot, add the chops. Brown both sides evenly 
and allow to cook ten minutes. 

Creamed Carrots (Two portions) 

i C-carrots 3 C-boiling water 
1 t-salt 

Carrots should not be peeled, but after being scrubbed 
well they should be scraped with a knife. Cut into one- 
half inch cubes, cook in boiling water (salted) twenty-five 
minutes, or until soft when pierced with a knitting needle. 
Drain and serve with Bechamel sauce. 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 445 

Bechamel Sauce (Two portions) 

i T-butter % t-pepper 
i T-flour i egg-yolk 

J4 t-salt 2/3 C-milk 

Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and pepper and mix 
well. Gradually stir in the milk. Cook until it thickens 
slightly. Add the beaten egg-yolk, cook one minute and 
serve immediately with one cup of diced carrots. 



CHAPTER CXLV 

ENGAGEMENT PRESENTS 

**T? UTH has had some of the loveliest engagement 
-"► presents," said Bettina to Bob across the dinner table. 
"And some that are so practical and sensible !" 

"Did you see her this afternoon?" 

"Yes, and we walked over to the new house. She has 
had Fred put up a shelf in the kitchen for her cook-books 
and recipe card box, and she finds that she really has quite 
a library ! And the various engagement gifts are all put 
away. In fact the bungalow is nearly ready for use. I've 
told Ruth that she might write a magazine article- on 'En- 
gagement Presents,' using her own for illustrations." 

"What does she have?" 

"Well, a dear old Aunt of Bob's presented her with some 
wonderful kitchen scales — an aid to economy. Then it seems 
to me that every friend who has some favorite kitchen device 
has given one to her — she has egg-beaters, waffle-irons, cream- 
whippers, silver-polishers, cases for linen and silver — oh, every- 
thing you can think of !" 

"What did you give her?" 

"The cards and card box for her indexed recipes. I in- 
cluded many of my own recipes, you know. That is to be 
my own particular engagement gift to all my friends." 

That night Bettina served: 

446 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 447 

Salmon Loaf Salmon Sauce 

Baked Potatoes 

Bread Butter 

Marble Pudding Whipped Cream 

Iced Tea 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Salmon Loaf (Two portions) 

2/3 C-flaked, canned salmon % t-paprika 
1/3 C-cracker crumbs I egg 

y 2 t-salt 1/3 C-milk 

Flake the salmon apart with a silver fork, add the crumbs, 
salt and paprika. Beat the egg and add the milk. Add to 
the first mixture. Place in a well-buttered mould and bake 
in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Allow to stand 
three minutes, remove from the mould, and place on a 
warmed platter. Pour salmon sauce around the loaf and 
serve at once. 

Salmon Sauce (Two portions) 



3 T-flour 


1 egg, hard-cooked and 


2 T-butter 


chopped 


fine 


Y\ C-liquor from the 


y 2 t-salt 




salmon 


1 T-pickle, 


chopped fine 


2/3 C-milk 


y 2 t-chopped parsley 


Va t- 


■paprika 





Melt the butter, add the salmon liquor. Add the flour, 
salt and paprika and mix well. Add the milk and cook two 
minutes. Add the egg, pickle and parsley, mix well, and 
pour around the loaf. 

Baked Marble Pudding 

1 C-flour 1 egg 

2 t-baking powder 2 T-melted butter 
%. t-cinnamon y. C-water 

Vs t-salt y 2 t-vanilla 

y> C-sugar y 2 square of chocolate, melted 

Mix and sift the sugar, flour, salt, baking powder and 
cinnamon. Add the egg-yolk, water and vanilla. Beat one 
minute. Add the egg white stiffly beaten. Mix well. Add 



448 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

the butter, melted. Divide the mixture, and to half add 
the melted chocolate. Prepare a loaf-cake pan or a small 
round tin with waxed paper. Fill it with both mixtures, 
first placing in it a tablespoon of the plain mixture, then a 
tablespoon of the chocolate mixture, then the plain, until 
all is used, and the pudding has a marbled appearance. 
Bake thirty minutes in a moderate oven. Serve warm with 
whipped cream. 



CHAPTER CXLVI 
WITH HOUSECLEANING OVER 

ffT> ROILED steak and French fried potatoes! Whew'/' 

-LJ said Bob, strolling into Bettina's shining kitchen, 
"Why so festive?" 

"Because I've just finished house-cleaning, Bob, and I 
want to celebrate. Doesn't everything look splendid?" 

"Well, it looked good to me before, but now that I think 
of it, I believe there is an extra shine on things. What 
makes that nickel there look so bright and silvery?" 

"I cleaned it with a damp cloth dipped in powdered borax. 
That always makes nickel bright and clean." 

"I might have done that for you, Betty. Why didn't you 
suggest it to me ?" 

"Oh, this house is so small and dear that I enjoyed every 
minute of my house-cleaning. And I didn't want to bother 
you with it at all." 

"Well, I'll help now with dinner. What can I do?" 

"Will you cut the bread, dear? There's the steel bread 
knife; doesn't it look bright and shiny, too? I cleaned all 
my steel knives by dipping them into the earth in a flower 
pot I keep filled for that purpose. Well, I think dinner is 
ready now, Bob." 

For dinner they had : 

Broiled Steak French Fried Potatoes 

Stuffed Onions 
Bread Currant Jelly- 

Orange Tapioca Whipped Cream 

Coffee 

449 



450 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 
Stuffed Onions (Two portions) 

2 large Spanish onions Y t-salt 

3 T-soft bread crumbs 2 t-melted butter 
I t-egg Yi t-celery salt 

Yz t-chopped parsley %. C-milk 

Cook the whole onions in boiling water until tender, but 
not broken. When the fork pierces them easily, drain off 
the water and rinse in cold water. This makes them firm 
for stuffing. 

Remove the centers carefully. Add the removed portion, 
chopped fine, to the crumbs, egg, parsley, salt, butter and 
celery salt. Mix thoroughly. Fill the holes with the mix- 
ture. Place the onions in a small pan. Sprinkle the salt 
over the onion and pour over it the milk. Bake in a mod- 
erate oven for twenty minutes. 

Orange Tapioca (Two portions) 

4 T-orange juice 2/3 C-boiling water 

2 t-lemon juice 2 T-powdered tapioca 

5 T-sugar Y t-salt 

1 orange 

Stir the tapioca into the orange and lemon juice. Add 
the sugar and salt. Let it stand for three minutes while 
boiling the water. Add the water. Place directly over the 
fire. Stir constantly and cook till thick (about three min- 
utes). Peel the orange and break apart in sections. Line 
a glass serving dish with it and pour the tapioca over the sec- 
tions. Serve cold with whipped cream. 

Whipped Cream 

1/3 C-thick cream y 2 t-lemon extract 
2 T-sugar y 2 t-vanilla extract 

Place the cream in a round-bottomed, chilled bowl. Beat 
until thick and fluffy. Add the sugar, lemon and vanilla. 
Mix well. Pile lightly on the orange tapioca and serve 
very cold. 



CHAPTER CXLVII 

SPRING MARKETING 

**T 'VE been to the market, Bettina," said Charlotte, "and 
-*■ I thought I'd stop here just a moment to rest/' 

"Come in," said Bettina, "and set that heavy basket down. 
Why didn't you leave it for Frank to bring?" 

"Because I needed the things for dinner." 

"What did you get?" 

"Oh, the same old fresh vegetables," said Charlotte wear- 
ily. "A month ago they seemed so wonderful — strawber- 
ries, asparagus, new potatoes and all — but there are no new 
ways to cook them ! One day I cream the asparagus and 
the next day I serve it on toast." 

"Do you ever make asparagus salad?" asked Bettina. 
"We are very fond of it. Cold cooked asparagus is good 
with any kind of salad dressing, but we like best a very 
simple kind that I often make — oil and lemon juice and 
cheese." 

"Cheese?" echoed Charlotte in surprise. 

"Yes, cottage cheese and Roquefort cheese are equally 
good. And, Charlotte, if you want some delicious straw- 
berry desserts " 

"Oh, I do ! We're so tired of shortcake and plain straw- 
berries !" 

"I know several good strawberry dishes. Come, let me 
show you one that I made today !" 

Bettina's dinner consisted of: 

451 



452 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

Veal Steak New Potatoes in Cream 

Bread Butter 

Asparagus Salad Salad Dressing 

Strawberry Tapioca 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Asparagus Salad (Three portions) 

18 stalks of asparagus 3 C-water 

y 2 t-salt 3 pieces of lettuce 

Wash the asparagus and cut it in six-inch pieces. Cook 
for ten minutes in boiling salted water (longer if necessary). 
Rinse with cold water, handling carefully. Arrange six 
stalks on each piece of lettuce. Serve with salad dressing. 

Asparagus Salad Dressing (Three portions) 

4 T-olive oil ^ Ya. t-salt 
2 T-lemon juice %. t-paprika 
I T-cottage cheese 

Beat the oil, and add the lemon juice slowly. Add the 
salt and paprika. Beat one minute. Add the cheese. Serve 
very cold, poured over the asparagus salad. 

Strawberry Tapioca 

3 T-granulated tapioca % t-salt 

4 T-sugar y 2 t-vanilla 

l% C-hot water 1 C-strawberries 

34 C-sugar 

Wash and hull the strawberries, and cut in halves with a 
spoon. Add the sugar, mix well, and set in a cold place. 
Mix the tapioca, the sugar and the salt. Add the boiling 
water slowly. Cook ten minutes in the upper part of the 
double boiler. Add the vanilla. When cold, add the straw- 
berries. Serve very cold with plain or whipped cream. 



CHAPTER CXLVIII 
PLANS FOR THE WEDDING 

Cf/^\H, Bob!" cried Bettina, "don't you hope it won't 

V^ rain?" 

"Rain? When? Tonight?" asked Bob, absent-mindedly, 
for he was busily eating the first cherry cobbler of the 
season, and enjoying it, too. 

"No, stupid ! I'm thinking about the wedding — Ruth's 
wedding." 

"And Fred's wedding, too," added Bob. "You talk as if 
Ruth were the only one who is vitally interested." 

"Fred's wedding, then. For, you see, the ceremony is to 
be in that darling summer house if it doesn't rain. If it 
does it will have to be in the solarium. The bridesmaids 
and matrons (if it is an outdoor wedding) are to carry the 
prettiest green silk parasols that you ever saw. They will 
be Ruth's gifts to us. Over our arms we'll carry plain soft 
straw hats filled with pink peonies, and lots of trailing 
greenery. Won't that be lovely? For you know we are 
all to wear short white dresses and white shoes." 

"And what am I to do?" 

"You're to be an usher and help carry the green ropes 
that form the aisle." 

"Ropes?" 

"Yes, plain ropes covered with greenery. Will you have 
some more cherry cobbler, Bob ?" 

That night for dinner Bettina served: 

Pork Tenderloin Creamed New Potatoes 

Cauliflower with Butter Sauce 

Vegetable Salad French Dressing 

Cherry Cobbler Cream 

Coffee 

453 



454 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Vegetable Salad (Four portions) 

2 tomatoes ]/ 2 t-celery salt 

12 slices of cucumber i t-salt 
4 T-cottage cheese ]/$ t-paprika 

8 pieces of lettuce 

Arrange two pieces of lettuce on each salad plate. Cut 
the tomatoes in half and arrange on the lettuce. Place 
three slices of cucumber on each piece of tomato. Add a 
tablespoon of cheese to each portion. Sprinkle with celery 
salt, salt and paprika. Serve at once with French dressing. 

Bettina's French Dressing (Four portions) 

2 T-lemon juice i t-salt 
5 T-olive oil % t-paprika 

I t-chopped parsley 

Mix the lemon juice, salt, paprika and parsley. Add the 
oil slowly, beating vigorously with a Dover egg-beater or a 
fork. Beat until the mixture becomes a little thick. Pour 
over the salad. 

Cherry Cobbler (Four portions) 

2 C-cherries, stemmed i C-flour 

and pitted i t-baking powder 

2/3 C-sugar *4 t-salt 

2 t-flour 1 T-sugar 

1 T-water 2 T-butter 

Vs t-salt 6 T-milk 

Mix the cherries, sugar, flour and salt. Allow to stand 
five minutes. Add the water. Pour the mixture into a 
deep glass or china baking dish. Mix and sift the flour, 
baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in the butter with a 
knife. Add the milk, mixing until a soft dough is formed. 
Shape it with the hands to fit over the cherries. Make 
three slits in the dough to permit the steam to escape. 
Place in a moderate oven and bake for thirty minutes. 
Serve in the baking dish. Plain cream or whipped cream 
should be served with the cobbler. 



CHAPTER CXLIX 

ENTERTAINING THE WEDDING GUESTS 

**TF you girls only would, my dear," Ruth's mother had 
-"- responded to Bettina's suggestion that she and Alice 
entertain Ruth's house guests the entire day before the wed- 
ding, "you have no idea what a load would be taken off my 
mind !" 

"And Alice and I would so enjoy helping you," Bettina had 
replied. "And remember, we mean the whole day, breakfast 
and all !" 

Luckily, the day before the wedding dawned warm and clear 
At eight o'clock Harry and Bob drove them all in automobiles 
to a lovely country spot in which the girls served an outdoor 
breakfast. The morning was spent in motoring and luncheon 
was eaten at a charming downtown tea-room. Then they were 
whisked off to Bettina's little home for an informal afternoon, 
and Harry and Bob, feeling that they had indeed been model 
husbands, departed for their respective offices. 

"The girl from Kentucky has volunteered to sing," whis- 
pered Alice to Ruth. "She's a dear. Do you suppose we can 
keep Aunt Jenny from talking for half an hour?" 

That afternoon the following refreshments were served on 
trays : 

Fruit Salad Bettina Sandwiches 

Orange Sherbet 

Bettina Cake, White Mountain Cream Icing 

Coffee 

Nuts Candy 

455 



456 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Fruit Salad (Twelve portions) 

3 C-diced pineapple y 2 C-marshmallows, cut fine 

I C-nut meats, cut in small y 2 C-red cherries, cut fine 

pieces 1/3 C-figs, cut fine 
Yz C-oranges, cut in small 1 C-salad dressing 
pieces y 2 C-whipped cream 

12 pieces lettuce 

Mix the pineapple, nut meats, oranges, marshmallows, cher- 
ries and figs. Mix the whipped cream and the salad dressing. 
Pour this over the fruit. Serve on lettuce leaves which have 
been washed and placed on serving plates. Serve immediately. 

Bettina Sandwiches (Twelve portions) 

y 2 C-creamed cheese y 2 C-pimento olives, chopped fine 

3 T-pickles, chopped fine 2 T-salad dressing 
l /t t-salt 

Mix the cheese, pickles, olives and salt. Add the salad dress- 
ing. Spread this mixture between two thin pieces of buttered 
bread. Press firmly together and cut into fancy shapes. 

Bettina Cake (Twelve squares) 

54 C-butter 1 t-baking powder 

y 2 C-sugar *4 C-strained orange juice 

4 egg-yolks l / 2 t-orange extract 

Y& C-flour y 2 t-lemon extract 

Cream the butter, add the sugar and mix well. Add the 
egg-yolks which have been well beaten. Mix and sift the flour, 
baking powder and salt, and add these, with the orange juice 
and the orange and lemon extracts to the first mixture. Beat 
vigorously for two minutes. Fill a twelve-inch square pan 
which has been prepared with waxed paper, with the mixture. 
Bake thirty minutes in a moderate oven. When cool, cover 
with the icing and cut into twelve pieces. 



CHAPTER CL 

THE BRIDESMAIDS' DINNER 

~0 UTH'S wedding colors were to be pink and green, and 
-■-^ pink and green were, therefore, the colors which decor- 
ated the charming dinner table laid for the wedding party and 
close relatives the night before the wedding. A bud vase hold- 
ing a half-opened pink rose bud stood before every two places. 
A large, low dish in the center of the table held pink roses, 
while at either end was another low arrangement of the same 
flowers. 

Tiny paper slipper nut cups at each place held the pecans, 
and at the places laid for the best man and the ushers, silver 
pencils, Fred's gifts to the groomsmen, were found. 

"They are cunning, of course," chattered Bernadette, Ruth's 
cousin and maid-of-honor, "but you men just wait till you see 
the green parasols that we bridesmaids are to carry ! Ruth is 
giving them to us, you know !" 

The dinner menu was as follows : 

Watermelon Balls 

Celery Bouillon Bread Sticks 

Veal Birds 

Creamed New Potatoes Buttered New Beets 

Rolls Butter Balls 

Mint Frappe 

Blackstone Salad French Dressing 

Thin Bread and Butter Sandwiches 

Brick Ice Cream White Cake 

Coffee 

Salted Pecans 

457 



458 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Blackstone Salad (Eighteen portions) 

36 pieces of head lettuce % t-paprika 

9 grapefruit J A t-salt 

9 T-Neufchatel cheese 2 T-cream 

9 T-cottage cheese 1 T-salad dressing 

Arrange two pieces of lettuce on each salad plate. Care- 
fully peel the grapefruit and remove all the tough fibres and 
the white skin. Cut the grapefruit into one-inch pieces. Ar- 
range the pieces in a circle upon the lettuce leaves. In the 
center of the circle, place the cheese mixture. Pour the salad 
dressing over the lettuce, cheese and grapefruit. 

Cheese Mixture 

Mix the Neufchatel and cottage cheese, the salt, paprika, 
cream and salad dressing. Stir until very creamy. Spread 
on a piece of waxed paper to the thickness of one inch. Place 
in the refrigerator, on the ice if possible. When cold and hard, 
cut in pieces three-fourths of an inch square. Place a cube in 
the center of the grapefruit circle on each side plate. 

French Dressing 

8 T-lemon juice x / 2 t-paprika 
2 t-salt 1 C-olive oil 

Mix and beat thoroughly the lemon juice, salt and paprika. 
Add the oil very slowly. Beat for three minutes. Add one 
tablespoon to each portion of the salad. Serve at once. 



CHAPTER CLI 
A MORNING WEDDING IN JUNE 

AFTER the solemn and beautiful ceremony had taken 
place in the rose-embowered summer house, there was 
the usual hush for a moment, and then Ruth and Fred were 
engulfed in a sudden rush of chattering friends, eager to offer 
congratulations. Bettina and Bob were swept off with the oth- 
ers to the house, where the wedding breakfast was waiting to 
be served. 

"The morning is after all the happiest time for a wedding," 
whispered Ellen to Bettina, as they found their places at the 
bride's table. "Everything seems so fresh and new and green 
and hopeful ! Isn't the table lovely, Bettina ?" 

And indeed it was. Rose-decorated again, with the grace- 
ful flowers in baskets, and the white bride's cake in the center 
of the table, Bettina felt that it made the proper setting for the 
flushed and smiling little bride. 

"And the wedding cake is to be passed in darling little bas- 
kets," continued Ellen. "Little baskets with handles — and the 
cake in tiny packages tied with white ribbon ! Pink and green 
candy all around them, too !" 

The wedding breakfast consisted of : 

Watermelon Balls in Halves of Cantaloupe 

Chicken Croquettes Creamed Potatoes 

Mushroom Sauce 

New Peas Butter Sauce 

Parker House Rolls Loganberry Jam 

Fruit Salad Wafers, Bettina 

Brick Ice Cream White Cake 

Coffee 

Nuts Candy 

459 



460 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Mushroom Sauce (Thirty portions) 

I C-chicken fat 2 t-salt 
34 C-water ^ t-paprika 

1% C-flour 7 C-milk 

Mix the fat and flour carefully, add the water, salt and 
paprika. Cook one minute, stirring constantly, add one-half of 
the milk and cook until the mixture gets very thick. Beat one 
minute, add the rest of the milk and cook again, still stirring 
continuously. When the sauce is very thick and creamy, add 
the mushrooms. Stir over a hot fire for one minute. This 
allows the mushrooms to get hot. Serve one tablespoonful of 
the mixture around each croquette. The sauce may be re- 
heated by adding two tablespoons of milk, and placing over a 
hot fire. 

Fruit Salad (Thirty portions) 

30 slices of pineapple 120 pecan meats 

120 white cherries 30 T-salad dressing 

30 red maraschino cherries 30 pieces of head lettuce 
2 t-salt 

Arrange the pieces of lettuce on the salad plates. Sprinkle 
with salt, arrange on each portion a slice of pineapple, four 
white cherries, four pecan nuts and one maraschino cherry. 
Place one tablespoon of salad dressing on each slice of pine- 
apple, then arrange the fruits and nuts in any desired design. 
Serve immediately. 

Wafers Bettina (Thirty portions) 

30 double wafers 3 T-chopped nut meats 

54 lb. cream cheese (white) 3 T-butter 
Y A t-salt 

Mix the cheese, nuts, butter and salt thoroughly. Spread 
evenly over the double wafers. Bake in a moderate oven until 
a delicate brown on the top. 



CHAPTER CLII 
THE FIRST YEAR ENDS 

66 A ND a whole year has gone since then," said Bob, as his 

-/jl eyes met Bettina's across the little table set for two. 

"That's the queer part of it," Bettina replied. "That year 
seems unbelievably short in some ways and unbelievably long 
in others, and stranger yet, I don't feel that it is really gone. 
I feel as if we had it, captured, held forever, with all of its 
fun and all of its little sad times. We own it, even more than 
we own a collection of snapshots in a camera book — because 
that year is a part of us now." 

"And the little hard places only make the bright spots all 
the brighter by contrast. Do you know, Bettina, that I've 
found you wiser than I ever imagined a young wife could 
be?" 

"Bob," — -and Bettina laughed and blushed at the same time. 

"Don't interrupt. This is our anniversary and I'm making 
a speech. You are wise because from the first you've realized 
that we get out of life just what we put into it. You've faced 
things. You've realized that marriage isn't a hit-or-miss propo- 
sition. It's a business " 

"A glorified business, Bobby. Dealing in materials that can't 
all be felt and seen and tasted, but that are, nevertheless, just 
as real as others. More truly real, I sometimes think. I 
know that the more love we give the more we receive, but we 
can't forget that we were given intelligence, too. So we mustn't 
turn the rose-colored lights of romance too beautifully low 

461 



462 A Thousand Ways To Please a Husband 

to let us see the wheels go round. And after all, romance is 
really in everything that we do lovingly, and intelligently. I 
find it in planning and cooking the best and most economical 
meals that I can, and in getting the mending done on time, and 
in keeping the house clean and beautiful. And — in having you 
appreciate things." 

"If you knew how I do appreciate them !" said Bob. "Let's 
make our second year even happier than the first. If that is 
possible !" 

For that anniversary dinner Bettina served: 

Broiled Steak New Potatoes in Cream 

Hot Biscuits Butter 

Currant Jelly 

Tomato Salad 

Charlotte Russe 

Coffee 

BETTINA'S RECIPES 

(All measurements are level) 

Currant Jelly (Five glasses) 

2 qts. of currants I C-water 
Sugar 

Pick over the currants, leaving the berries on the stems. 
Wash and drain. Place in an enamel preserving kettle and 
add one cup of water. Cook slowly until the currants are 
white. Strain through a jelly bag. Boil the juice five minutes 
in a shallow pan. It is better to boil small~quantities at a time, 
as this makes the jelly much clearer. When the juice has all 
been boiled, measure, and add an equal amount of heated 
sugar. Boil three minutes, or until it jells when tried on a 
cold saucer. Pour into sterilized glasses. Allow to stand in 
the sun twenty-four hours. Cover with boiling paraffin and 
put away in a cool, dark place. This recipe makes about five 
glasses or two and a half pints. 

Tomato Salad (Two portions) 

4 slices tomato, z / 2 inch thick % t-celery salt 

3 T-chopped green pepper 2 T-olive oil 

y 2 t-salt 2 T-lemon juice 

% t-paprika 2 pieces lettuce 



With Bettinas Best Recipes 463 

Mix the salt, paprika, celery salt, olive oil and lemon juice. 
Beat one minute. Add the tomatoes and green pepper. Place 
in the ice box for half an hour. Arrange the lettuce leaves 
on salad plates. Place two slices of tomato on each portion. 
Pour the oil mixture over the tomatoes. 

Charlotte Russe (Two portions) 

2 t-granulated gelatin I C-whipped cream 
2 T-cold water y 2 t -vanilla > 

Y\ C-hot milk 4 thin pieces sponge cake 

J4 C-sugar 

Place the sponge cakes around the edges of a moistened 
mould. Soak the gelatin in cold water five minutes. Add the 
hot milk. Stir until it dissolves. Add the sugar and vanilla. 
Allow the gelatin mixture to cool. When it begins to thicken, 
fold in the cream. Beat until the mixture holds its shape. 
Pour into the mould. Allow to remain two hours in a cold 
place. 



INDEX 



INDEX 

Bread, Rolls, etc. 

PAGE 

Baking powder biscuit 51, 219, 442 

Boston brown bread 61 

Brown bread 201 

Bran bread, steamed 364 

Cheese wafers 439 

Cinnamon rolls 164 

Cinnamon toast 369 

Corn bread 309 

Corn gems 328 

Cream toast 390 

Croutons 23, 263 

Croutons, shamrock 396 

Date bread 233 

Date buns 274 

Date muffins 83 

Date nut bread 221 

Egg rolls 361 

Emergency biscuit 123 

French toast 145 

Fruit gems 180 

Graham gems 271 

Gluten bread 367 

Light rolls 75 

Muffins 326 

Muffins, Twin Mountain 64 

Nut bread 71 

Nut bread for sandwiches 371 

Peanut butter and fruit rolls 438 



468 Index 

PAGE 

Peanut bread ; 288 

Pinwheel biscuits 45 

Pop-overs 377 

Sour cream biscuits 417 

Spanish buns -.-.-. 78 

Sweet milk griddle cakes. 145 

Time guide for quick breads 113 

Toast •••••• 48 

Toasted sticks 425 

Wafers, Bettina 460 

Waffles ., 326 

Cakes and Cookies. 

Apple sauce cake 83 

Bettina's cake 456 

Bettina's cakes ... 375 

Bettina's sponge cake . . ' 400 

Bettina's wafers 460 

Brides' cake 119 

Burnt sugar cake 323 

Charlotte Russe 463 

Chocolate cream filling . . 89 

Chocolate sponge 221 

Chocolate nougat 341 

Chocolate, little cakes 30 

Chocolate, moist 38 

Date loaf cake 347 

Date rocks 428 

Devil's food 178, 231 

Doughnuts 102 

Doughnuts, potato 126 

Drop cookies 256 

Fancy cakes 433 

Fudge cakes, hot j6 

Ginger drop cakes 286 

Gingerbread, soft 388 

Graham cracker cake 390 



Index 46& 

PAGE 

Gold hearts 225 

Hickory nut cake 343 

Jumbles 253 

Lightning tea cakes - 189 

Loaf, Bettina's nut special 35 

Marble cake 223 

Mocha 419 

Molasses puffs 203 

Marshmallow 92 

Nut cookies 260 

One egg cake 58 

Orange cake 201 

Peanut cookies 283 

Quick cake 132 

Rocks 211 

Scones 236 

Small cakes 393 

Sour cream 102 

Sponge 279 

Sponge, hot water 168 

Spiced > 137 

Washington pie 321 

White cakes 23 

White cake 153 

Cereals. 

Method of cooking 105 

Oatmeal 67 

Oatmeal with dates 326 

Rice, boiled 423 

Wheat cereal 104 

Desserts. 

Apples, Bettina 203 

Apples, baked 112, 277, 375, 385 

Apples, glazed 123 



470 Index 

PAGE 

Apple sauce 306 

Apricot sauce 271 

Cup custard 217 

Custards, steamed 409 

Grapefruit cocktail 262, 396 

Orange dessert 398 

Pineapple, sliced 27 

Peach cup 358 

Sponge cake and whipped cream 412 

Strawberries au naturel 23 

Drinks. 

Hot chocolate 13 

Coffee 64 

Eggs. 

Baked 358 

Devilled 38 

Escalloped with cheese 312 

Goldenrod, a la 160 

Omelet 122 

Poached 47 

Scrambled 210, 328 

Souffle 125 

Fish. 

Codfish balls 125 

Fish a la Bettina 128 

Halibut steak 26 

Halibut, sauted „ * 265 

Lobster, creamed 282 

Oysters, creamed 279 

Oyster cocktail 230 

Oysters, creamed in ramekins 364 

Oysters, escalloped 314 

Oysters, fried 303 



Index 471 

PAGE 

Oyster patties 252 

Salmon, escalloped 271, 361 

Salmon, loaf , 274, 447 

Salmon timbales 23 

Tuna, creamed on toast strips 12 

Tuna loaf 195 

Ice Creams and Ices. 

Apricots, frozen 172 

Chocolate, sauce for ice cream 92 

Lemon sherbet 71 

Peaches for ice cream 153 

Pecan ice cream 279 

Vanilla ice cream 153 

Icing. 

Bettina's icing 394 

Confectioners', Bettina's 344 

Confectioners' 79, 89 

Chocolate 58 

"C" sugar icing 138, 153 

Meringue 52 

White mountain cream 24, 71 

Jellies and Preserves. 

Cherries, canned 109 

Currant jelly 109, 462 

Cranberry 323 

Fruit jelly 268 

Fruit juice 31 

Grapefruit marmalade 346 

Jelly making suggestions no 

Apple and mint jelly 162 

Orange marmalade 369 

Peach butter 99 



472 Index 

PAGE 

Strawberry preserves 13 

Tomato jelly 101 

Meats. 

Beef balls . 170 

Beef, creamed . . 68 

Beef, corned, au gratin 367 

Beef, flank, rolled 241 

Beef, jellied 40 

Beef loaf 155, 192 

Beef pie 223 

Beef pot roast 422 

Beef roast l 177 

Boubons 18 

Bacon, broiled 146 

Bacon, liver and 180 

Bacon, pigs in blankets 355 

Chicken croquettes 186, 319 

Chicken en casserole 400 

Chicken, fried .■ 118 

Chicken a la king 343, 393 

Chicken loaf 332 

Chicken and mushroom patties 268 

Ham 115 

Ham, baked 309, 374 

Ham, broiled 236 

Ham cooked in milk 326 

Ham en casserole 430 

Hash, browned 82 

Lamb chops, Creole 135 

Lamb chops, breaded 249 

Lamb chops, broiled 85, 285, 411 

Lamb, roast leg of .34, 414 

Lamb stew 388 

Liver and bacon 180 

Meat balls 383 



Index 473 

PAGE 

Mutton in ramekins 288 

Pork croquettes 425 

Pork chops . . 95, 306, 398 

Pork chops with sweet potatoes . . 30b 

Pork tenderloins 276, 436 

Steak, Bettina 404 

Steak, devilled 50 

Steak, flank, braized 290 

Steak, Hamburger 140 

Steak, pan-broiled 15, 131 

Steak, round, en casserole 408 

Steak, round, with vegetables 238 

Steak, Swiss 340 

Tongue, boiled 98 

Turkey, roast . 293 

Veal birds 88 

Veal chops 444 

Veal, creamed 54 

Veal cutlets 174 

Veal loaf 60 

Veal, breaded 350 

Veal steak, baked 335 



Nuts and Candies. 

Date kisses 369 

Fudge, chocolate 338 

Fudge, maple 260 

Fudge, peanut 181 

Fudge, white 338 

Penoche 156 

Peanut fondant 338 

Popcorn balls 259 

Salted almonds 226 

Salted peanuts 234 

Sour cream candy 301 



474 Index 

PAGE 

Pastry. 

Apple dumpling 288, 246 

Apricot cobbler 192 

Berry pie 101 

Blueberry tarts , 129 

Boston cream pie 386 

Cheese timbales 230 

Cherry cobbler 454 

Chocolate pie 183 

Cranberry pie 307 

Cream puffs 213 

Crust 52 

Dutch apple cake 115 

Lemon pie 51 

Peach cobbler 164 

Pumpkin 253 

Rules for pastry 161 

Strawberry short cake 16 

Pickles, Relishes, etc. 

Beets, pickled 50 

Beets, spiced 207 

Cabbage relish 265 

Chili sauce 217 

Jelly pickle 346 

Radishes 4 1 

Relish for fried oysters 303 

Puddings. 

Apricot souffle 225 

Brown Betty 150, 291 

Chocolate cream pudding 187 

Chocolate custard 3&> 

Cocoanut 43° 



Index 475 

PAGE 

Cocoanut blanc mange 95 

Cornstarch fruit 353 

Cottage pudding 20, 238 

Cottage pudding, Bettina's 277 

Cream, whipped 225 

Date pudding 356, 420 

Date pudding, steamed 249 

Fig pudding, steamed 35 1 

Lemon rice 274 

Marble 447 

Marshmallow cream 199 

Marshmallow pudding 383 

Plum pudding, Bettina's 312 

Plum pudding 294 

Pineapple charlotte 296 

Prunes 241 

Prune blanc mange 236 

Prune souffle 141 

Prune whip 243, 314 

"Quick pudding" 272 

Rhubarb pudding 86 

Rice pudding 156 

Rice parf ait 364 

Tapioca, apple 219, 304 

Tapioca and date 335 

Tapioca, orange 450 

Tapioca, strawberry 452 

Salads. 

Apple, celery and green pepper 99 

Asparagus 452 

Banana 442 

Beet 189 

Bean 428 

Bettina 167, 343, 398 

Blackstone 458 

Cabbage 290 



476 Index 

PAGE 

clown 433 

Cherry 187 

Cucumber and radish 51 

Egg and lettuce . . 414 

Fruit 456, 460 

Grapefruit 380 

Honolulu 172 

Lettuce 246, 282, 374, 408 

Lobster and salmon 38 

Mexican < 201 

Orange and cherry 321 

Pear 279, 438 

Perfection salad 300 

Potato 207 

Salmon 57, 213 

String bean 230 

Sunbonnet Baby 70 

Surprise 252 

Tomato 462 

Tomato, cucumber pimento 2J 

Tomato cup , 91 

Tomato, stuffed . ■. 129 

Tuna . 233 

Washington 371 

Vegetable 152, 271, 319, 436, 454 

Salad Dressing and Sauces. 

Bread dressing 241 

Bechamel sauce 243, 445 

Butter sauce 243 

Boiled salad dressing 102 

Bettina dressing 408 

Bettina's French dressing 454 

Cranberry sauce 3 10 

Custard sauce 96 

Egg sauce ... 23 

French dressing ..., ........ ... ... ,. ... . . 27 



Index 477 

PAGE 

French dressing with green peppers 282 

Giblet gravy 294 

Horseradish sauce 170 

Lemon sauce . 116 

Mushroom sauce 460 

Maitre d'Hotel 95 

Russian dressing 246, 314 

Salad dressing 233 

Thousand Island salad dressing ,89, 132 

Tomato sauce 19, 155 

Vanilla sauce , 239 

White sauces 79 

Chocolate cookies 148 

Sandwiches. 

Bettina's 456 

Ham 38 

Ham, chopped 433 

Hallowe'en 253 

Nut-bread for sandwiches 371 

Peanut butter 41 

Washington's birthday 372 

Soups. 

Bettina's soup 442 

Cream of asparagus 263 

Creaw of celery 396 

Cream of pea . 425 

Vegetables. 

Asparagus on toast 303 

Cabbage, creamed 430 

Cabbage, escalloped 141, 216 

Cauliflower, creamed 83 

Cauliflower, escalloped -» . 175 



478 Index 

PAGE 

Carrots, creamed 131, 228, 385, 441 

Celery au gratin 210 

Celery and eggs 170 

Corn, creamed 164 

Corn, oysters 146 

Corn on the cob 99 

Egg plant 285 

Egg plant, escalloped 355 

Macaroni, tomatoes, green peppers 353 

Macaroni and cheese 219 

Onions, creamed 294, 404 

Onions, escalloped 115,419 

Onions, stuffed 416, 450 

Peas, creamed, new 85 

Peppers, stuffed with corn 186 

Peppers, stuffed with cauliflower 198 

Peppers, stuffed with rice 75 

Potatoes, baked 141, 385 

Potatoes, creamed 123, 148, 256 

Potatoes, escalloped 155, 285 

Potatoes in cream 16 

Potatoes, cubes 243 

Potatoes, lyonnaise 428 

Potatoes, Bettina's 221 

Potatoes, mashed 54, 170 

Potatoes, Anna 69 

Potato balls „ 198 

Potato cakes 161 

Potato croquettes 174 

Potatoes, hashed brown 150 

Potatoes, brown 177 

Potato rosettes 265 

Potatoes, sauted 163 

Potatoes, escalloped with bacon 358 

Potato and green corn croquettes 135 

Rice 288 

Rice croquettes 4 1 1 



Index 479 

PAGE 

Rice cakes 129 

String beans 27 

Squash, baked 177 

Sweet potatoes, mashed 192, 340 

Sweet potatoes, candied 355 

Sweet potatoes, fireless 296 

Sweet potatoes, glazed 266 

Tomatoes and cheese 367 

Tomatoes, cheese, and rice 335 

Tomatoes, devilled 256 

Tomatoes, stuffed 54 

Tomatoes, with rice 183 

Turnips 246 

Turnips, creamed 180 



Bettina's Suggestions. 

Bettina's suggestions 71 

Emergency shelf 13 

Menus for cerealess breakfasts 144, 145 

Suggestions for serving bride's cake 119 

Pastry rules 161 

Jelly making no 



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